• Miley Cyrus Helps Push Horse-Drawn Carriage Petition Over 100,000 Signatures

    Written by Michelle Kretzer

    It seems like Miley Cyrus' actions for animals are never-ending. This week, she asked her fans to help get horses suffering in the horse-drawn carriage industry off New York's streets, tweeting, "NYC is just 761 signatures shy of 100,000 petition goal to #FreeTheHorsesNYC! Sign @NYCLASS petition at StopHorseAbuse.com." Miley's fans' signatures pushed the New Yorkers for Clean, Safe, and Livable Streets petition well above the 100,000 that the group needed. And Miley and her mother, Tish, gushed about their gratefulness to their Twitter followers.

    Jason Mraz was likely grateful for all the help that he got from his Twitter followers, too. When he tweeted asking where to find the best vegan eats in Sydney, Australia, PETA and Jason's fans were quick to respond with some yummy suggestions.

    And Miley and Jason aren't the only sexy stars whose tweets we've been eyeing this week:

    We also caught a glimpse of yet another sweet quote from one of our Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity alums, Carrie Underwood. When The Guardian asked her about growing up on a cattle farm in Oklahoma, she answered, "The worst part of the year for me was when we took some off to sell, because they would cry for each other for a couple of days. That's why I don't eat meat."

    Ricki Lake has been inspired to embrace plants, too. She is reportedly enjoying more vegan meals after watching Forks Over Knives. PETA sent her some love in the form of a vegetarian/vegan starter kit, Alicia Silverstone's book The Kind Diet, and our meat industry exposé "Glass Walls," narrated by Paul McCartney.

    Ricki's timing couldn't have been better, since this week marked Meatout 2013. Nikita's Maggie Q was in full celebration mode, encouraging all her Twitter followers to "[t]ry it!!!" 

    Sam Simon joined in, challenging his friend, radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge, to watch "Glass Walls" and go vegan for one week. Sam asked PETA for help, so we sent "Lettuce Lady" Lindsay Rajt, associate director of campaigns, to Tampa, Florida, to help Bubba with the transition and to appear on his show all week to talk about it. Bubba says that he's enjoying the challenge and has a newfound love for vegan biscuits with meat-free gravy and rice milk.

    While the shock jock is warming up to faux food, Shania Twain's faux fur is keeping her warm. Her new show in Las Vegas features "dazzling costumes," including only faux fur, of course.

    And while Shania makes her point to the card sharks, Kyle Chandler is helping those other sharks. Alongside his daughter, Sawyer, he attended Humane Lobby Day in Austin, Texas, in support of a proposed bill that would ban shark-finning

    To keep up with what all your favorite stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter

  • Anjelica Huston: Steak 'n Shake Should Keep Apes Out of It

    Written by Michelle Kretzer

    Screen legend Anjelica Huston knows what makes good TV and what doesn't. And there's no question which side of the line ads that use great apes fall on. She is urging Steak 'n Shake to pull its current TV spot that includes a forced performance by a chimpanzee. Along with a copy of her video exposé about great-ape "actors," Anjelica sent the company a long letter, saying, in part, "These chimpanzees are destined to endure a lifetime of abuse for your 30-second spot—a point that no compassionate person would find funny in the least." 

    The stars of Enlightened are enlightened enough to know that you don't force animals to perform—but you can ask a PETA staffer to! Star Mike White is such a big fan of PETA that he invited PETA Vice President Lisa Lange to make a guest appearance on this Sunday's episode and plug the organization. And during filming, Laura Dern thanked Lisa for what PETA is doing for animals.

    Zachary Quinto knows the right way to put animals on camera: making a film starring homeless dogs that's about adopting from animal shelters instead of buying from pet stores and breeders. And Zachary's tweet about his film Dog Eat Dog was one of our paws-down favorites this week:

    Anne Hathaway was a paws-down favorite at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, accepting her award in custom-made vegan Jimmy Choos

    Actor Aisha Tyler took to Twitter to talk about some vegan meals she has been enjoying, and PETA has been helping by tweeting Aisha links to tasty recipes

    And Paul McCartney gave us plenty of them to choose from with his Meat Free Monday Cookbook. He reflected on decades of meat-free eating and animal advocacy as well as how he is honoring Linda McCartney's life in a poignant piece titled, "My Life as a Vegetarian – Supporting Linda's Legacy." 

    Fauja Singh will be leaving quite the legacy as well. The world's oldest marathon runner has announced that he will retire this year at the ripe old age of 101. What does he say gave him his longevity and fitness? Exercise and a vegetarian diet, of course.

    To keep up with what all the stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter

  • Photo of the Day: Everybody Loves Obamacarrot!

    Written by Alisa Mullins

    Would PETA miss the chance to educate nearly 1 million people about the benefits of vegan eating? Kale no!

    Attendees of President Barack Obama's inauguration were so smitten by Chris P. Carrot, Celery Stalk, and Mother Earth that they actually lined up to have their pictures taken with the patriotic trio and snatched up vegetarian/vegan starter kits and copies of "Glass Walls"—a video narrated by Paul McCartney—while they were at it.

    The vociferous vegetables even managed to win over a woman who was willing to consider eating fewer animals than she was wearing:

    In his inaugural speech, President Obama promised to "respond to the threat of climate change." We can't think of an easier—or tastier—way to do that than by going vegan.

  • 2012 Was the Hottest Year on Record—but 2013 Could Be Cooler

    Written by Michelle Kretzer

    Are you still trying to cool off from the scorcher that was 2012? Scientists report that it was the hottest year on record for the U.S.—but instead of blaming Mother Nature, we can point the finger at ourselves. "It is abundantly clear that we are seeing [human-caused] climate change in action," according to Kevin Trenberth, a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

    So PETA sent the greenest gals we know on a jaunt across Canada to show people how easy it is to go green—no bodypaint required. Since carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide together are the biggest contributors to climate change and raising animals for food is one of the largest sources of carbon dioxide emissions and the single largest source of both methane and nitrous oxide emissions, going vegan has been called the "single most effective thing you can do" to combat climate change

    People eagerly posed for pictures with the lime ladies, and they took home PETA's "Meat's Not Green" leaflets and copies of legendary animal and environmental advocate Paul McCartney's meat industry exposé, "Glass Walls." 

    By simply opting for faux meats and dairy products over animal-based ones, we can make 2013 a lucky year for animals and help reduce climate change. And that's pretty cool.

  • Rescued Dogs Helped Jessica Chastain Through Tough Scenes in 'Zero Dark Thirty'

    Written by Michelle Kretzer

    As a vegan, Jessica Chastain has famously said, "I don't want to torture anything in my life." And shooting disturbing torture scenes for the upcoming film Zero Dark Thirty, which details the hunt for and takedown of Osama bin Laden, was understandably rough on the actor. But Jessica revealed how she and director Kathryn Bigelow got through it: "During the week that we were filming the interrogations, we sent each other videos of animals being rescued. It was so emotional for me because I rescue dogs and so does she. That's the kind of stuff that was going on behind the scenes. Like, this is not our lives, we are not these characters, there's a place that is waiting for us."

    Many of us have experienced how an animal's love can get us through tough times. Anjelica Huston believes it's high time for us to return the favor and help heal the wounds of chimpanzees who have been confined to laboratories and experimented on. She penned an impassioned article urging everyone to support the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act, which would free all federally owned chimpanzees and retire them to peaceful, spacious sanctuaries.

    Paul McCartney is advocating for turkeys to be freed from the fate of ending up as holiday centerpieces. The legendary musician and animal advocate posed for a new "Say No, Thanks to Turkey" Thanksgiving ad for PETA and reposted it on his Facebook page as a reminder before Christmas.

    And scores of other celebrities shared animal-friendly reminders with their Twitter followers:

    Congratulations are in order for one of our favorite compassionate couples: Jenna Dewan-Tatum and Channing Tatum are expecting their first bundle of joy. With parents like that, we know that their child will be beautiful inside and out.

    To keep up with what all your favorite stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter

  • Iggy Pop Gives Joan Jett Top PETA Honor

    Written by Michelle Kretzer

    Joan Jett is nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year, but she's already snagged one coveted award: PETA's Nanci Alexander Activist Award. The top-notch animal advocate for whom the award is named is also the proud owner of one of South Florida's premier vegan eateries, Sublime. Every year, celebrities and PETA supporters pack Sublime and celebrate one dedicated advocate—and Joan is well deserving of the honor.

    She's been working to end animal suffering for years, including launching PETA's vegetarian/vegan starter kit at newsstands in New York City, protesting McDonald's cruel chicken-slaughter methods, and recording a rocking video vegetarian testimonial. She even used this opportunity to unveil yet another PETA campaign: her new vegetarian ad.

    Joan's new PETA ad is just like her: smart, hip, and animal-friendly.

    Fellow animal-friendly rocker Iggy Pop presented Joan with her award amid a rousing chorus of cheers and applause. "If there's anything I love more than rock 'n' roll, it's animals," said a smiling Joan.

    Iggy Pop and Joan Jett rocked the party.

    And Joan wasn't the day's only winner: Spanish-language TV host Marco Antonio Regil picked up a "One Can Make a Difference" Award for his efforts to promote vegan eating.

    Telemundo star Pablo Azar congratulates Marco. 

    He recently narrated Paul McCartney's meat industry exposé "Glass Walls" in Spanish, making it accessible for Spanish speakers around the world.

  • McCartney's 'Glass Walls' Reaches Latinos

    Written by Michelle Kretzer

    Students at Los Angeles' predominantly Latino Roosevelt High School may soon be adding "animal rights advocate" to their lists of extracurricular activities. Vegan and award-winning TV host Marco Antonio Regil premiered his new Spanish-language version of Paul McCartney's haunting meat industry exposé for PETA, "Glass Walls," to the school's stunned students.

    Almost all of them picked up information about going vegan, and about 15 students signed a pledge to go vegan on the spot.

    The documentary's title comes from McCartney's famous quote "If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian," and many vegetarians and vegans list "Glass Walls" as the reason why they made the switch. Marco wanted members of the Latino community to see for themselves the routine cruelty to animals that the meat industry tries to conceal

    The students readily accepted copies of the new DVD to share with their families and joined Marco for a vegan meal provided by Chipotle. Marco explained that Mexican-American children are 60 percent more likely to be overweight than non-Hispanic white children and urged them to learn about how going vegan could improve their health. He also encouraged them to stay tuned for PETA's new bilingual website, PETALatino.com, launching this winter.

    It seems as though the new "Glass Walls" is helping to shatter cultural boundaries.

  • Captive Elephant Erupts in Anger—Help Now!

    Written by Michelle Kretzer

    Update:

    Over the weekend, Sunder became violent and uncontrollable and attempted to escape. The fierce outburst included pulling down a heavy pillar to which he was tied with strong ropes and ransacking local retail shops—actions that show that he is suffering severely and is desperate to flee from his abusers.


    Pillar to which Sunder was tied


    Sunder, back in the dark shed, chained

    PETA India has demanded an emergency meeting with Maharashtra Forest Minister Dr. Patangrao Shripatrao Kadam to secure Sunder's relocation to a sanctuary, pointing out that people living in and around the temple are at risk of being harmed or killed and that the mahout and temple management are now likely to abuse Sunder even more as they try to control him. Please write to Dr. Kadam today and get everyone you know to do the same. Urge him politely but firmly to arrange for Sunder's relocation immediately. The world is watching. Thank you.

    Originally posted August 6:

    You may have heard that just before the London Olympic Games, Paul McCartney halted rehearsals to make an urgent plea in behalf of a suffering young elephant. Now, PETA India has obtained new photographic evidence of the abuse that the elephant is enduring while being used as a living begging bowl and beaten by a vicious, inept young mahout (trainer).

    At just 13 years old, Sunder has already experienced terrible torment. Kept in chains in a dark shed at the Jyotiba Temple in Maharashtra, India, he is unable to take even a single step without causing a spike to jab his skin.

    When he is taken out of the shed in order to beg for money for this wealthy temple, the mahout controls him with a spiked chain, a sharp bullhook (which is like a fireplace poker), and other weapons that force Sunder to follow orders out of fear of being struck.

    Sunder is often seen with fresh wounds that he sustained during beatings, and the marks that cover his body stand as evidence of years of abuse. A PETA India–supported program, Animal Rahat, was finally given permission to provide the elephant with veterinary care for his right eye, which was likely injured from being jabbed with a bullhook.

    Sunder is also denied adequate food and water and never experiences anything that is natural and important to him, such as exploring the woods and enjoying the company of other elephants.

    A complaint has been filed with police against Sunder's mahout, since the torment that he inflicts on the elephant is in violation of the Wildlife Protection acts of 1972 and 2002 and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. PETA India and the veterinarians present are also requesting that Forest Minister Dr. Patangrao Shripatrao Kadam use his authority to have Sunder surrendered and retired to a proper sanctuary that PETA India has standing by to receive him.

    Help free Sunder! E-mail the forest minister, Dr. Kadam, and urge him to free Sunder without a moment's delay.

  • Things You Might Have Missed (8-4-12)

    Written by Michelle Kretzer

    PETA News on Tumblr

    Don't miss a thing: Follow PETA on Tumblr

    Don't call the female dolphins of Shark Bay, Australia, "fashion-obsessed." They just prefer to bond with gals who dress like they do. Dolphins who choose to wear sponges on their noses to root in the sand for fish generally hang out with other "spongers," while dolphins who prefer the sponge-free look bond with each other. 

    On Lake Shore Boulevard in Toronto, traffic moves slowly enough that people can see—and videotape—trucks filled with pigs on their way to slaughter. The horrifying videos have gone viral—now will viewers go vegan?

    As if you needed one more reason to love Stella McCartney, the cruelty-free fashion phenom is now offering a scholarship to inspire young designers to follow in her well-heeled, animal-friendly footsteps.

    Teamwork! A thoughtful and enterprising passerby helped three precocious bear cubs get out of a Dumpster.

    Who said it? "Imagine how different the world would be if, in fact, it were 'reading, writing, arithmetic, empathy.'"

    New Features

    You despise the cruel slaughter of chickens, cows, and pigs with the fire of a thousand suns. So what to do about it? Try these suggestions.

    You saw her naked anti-fur ad—now you can have a piece of designer Cornelia Guest all to yourself. Enter to win one of the elegant vegan bags that she's giving away only to PETA supporters.

    New Action Alerts

    Paul McCartney stopped Olympic rehearsals to do it. Would you take a moment to ask the forest minister of Maharashtra, India, to send an abused young elephant to a sanctuary?

    Tell officials at Lagoon amusement park that keeping wild animals in filthy enclosures is not amusing, and ask them to retire the animals to sanctuaries and let parkgoers enjoy more rides and games instead.

    Officials in Ottawa are considering using cruel steel-jaw and snare traps to kill beavers. Ask them to use any of the many proven humane beaver-control methods that are readily available instead.

    Tell Groupon that circuses give animals a raw deal, and let the company know that you won't be using its services until it stops promoting the three rings of misery.

    Sugar gliders, tiny nocturnal marsupials, prefer to live in groups of about 30 and spend their time climbing trees and exploring the forest. But a company called "Pocket Pets" is setting up mall kiosks and selling the animals one by one to anyone who wants an impulse "pet." Urge Bayer Properties to prohibit the sale of sugar gliders at its malls.

    California's recent foie gras ban was a huge victory for animals, but a bill before Congress aims to gut it. Farm Bill Amendment 45 would force states to allow cruelly produced meat and dairy products across their borders, even if a state has already banned the product. Urge your representatives to oppose Amendment 45 and let states retain their right to protect animals.

  • Elephant Interrupts McCartney's Olympic Rehearsal

    Written by Michelle Kretzer

    Paul McCartney just made an Olympic-sized move for animals. In the midst of preparations for the London Olympics, which begin tomorrow, he put rehearsals on hold to send an urgent letter to Indian Forest Minister Dr. Patangrao Shripatrao Kadam asking him to help rescue an abused baby elephant

    The young elephant, named Sunder, is confined to a dark shed at the Jyotiba Temple in Maharashtra, where he is kept in chains that have sharp spikes attached to them. The spikes stab Sunder's feet, making it impossible for him to take a single step in any direction. PETA India learned that Sunder also has lesions all over his body from where his handler has beaten him with a bullhook (a sharp metal device that looks like a fireplace poker) and that his right eye is injured from being jabbed with the bullhook.

    In his letter, Paul implored:

    I most respectfully call on you to use your authority to get Sunder out, placed in your protective custody, and eventually integrated into a herd in the forest. … Please know the world is watching and wishing for a happy conclusion.

    You can help! Urge the Maharashtra Forest Minister to use his authority to rescue Sunder and send him to a sanctuary.

REPORT CRUELTY

If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2. 

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