Written by Alisa Mullins
Today is PETA President Ingrid Newkirk's birthday, and instead of a bottle of cruelty-free perfume or a new pair of vegan shoes, when we asked her what gift she would like, she said the same thing she said last year. She wanted people to donate to one of her favorite causes: Animal Rahat, whose vital work consists primarily of providing veterinary care, water, shade, rest, rehabilitation, and retirement to bullocks, donkeys, and other animals toiling as "beasts of burden" in India, which is where Ingrid spent much of her childhood.
However, last week Animal Rahat's multifaceted work included rescuing a dog who had tumbled down into an ancient, crumbling well and had been trapped about 80 feet down for four days. Villagers were dropping food down to the dog, who was miraculously uninjured, but because of the well's deteriorating condition, rescue seemed impossible. However, armed with a net and with the villagers' help, Animal Rahat's Mr. Gaikwad and a PETA India staffer repelled down to the ledge that the dog was stranded on, netted the frightened animal, and hoisted him to safety.
We set up a Causes page as well as a special page on our website where people can donate to Animal Rahat in Ingrid's honor, and boy, did you come through for our birthday girl. So far, we've raised $2,059 for Animal Rahat … and counting. Happy Birthday, Ingrid! And a big thank-you to you from this grateful little guy, and from many others, for caring and sharing!
Written by Michelle Kretzer
It's fitting that Rosa Parks' birthday, February 4, has been designated the Day of Courage. Parks is, of course, famous for her work to end segregation and racism, beginning with her refusal to give up her bus seat to a white passenger and continuing with her leadership during the bus boycotts that followed. But Parks soon broadened her base to include others who needed to be freed from the yoke of oppression: animals. She was a vegetarian for more than 40 years.
In fact, many civil rights leaders, past and present, have maintained that as long as one form of prejudice exists, no form of prejudice can be completely eradicated, and thus, civil rights and animal rights are inextricably linked:
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: "There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor political, nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him that it is right."
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Alice Walker: "If I'm eating food I know was a creature in a cage, it brings up memories of segregation and the stories from my ancestors, of being in captivity and denied their personalities, their true beings. Animals were not made for us, or our use. They have their own use, which is just being who they are."
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Cesar Chavez: "Kindness and compassion towards all living beings is a mark of a civilized society. Racism, economic deprival, dog fighting and cock fighting, bullfighting and rodeos are all cut from the same defective fabric: violence. Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well ourselves."
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The Rev. Al Sharpton: "So I say if KFC wants to take [African-Americans'] money, and use it to pay for sloppy practices that hurt animals, I say we send them a message that this is not going to happen. I'm calling on people to boycott KFC until they adopt animal welfare systems recommended by PETA."
Russell Simmons: "The more I opened myself up to the idea of the full scope of exactly what non-violence translates to, the less interested I became in consuming the energy associated with the flesh of an animal that only knew suffering in his/her life and pain and terror in its death. "
Rosa Parks did not just refuse to give up her seat on the bus. She refused to give up her humanity. She refused to accept oppression as "how things are." In honor of her, please encourage your friends and family to do away with the last of their personal prejudices by sharing the quotation above that speaks to you the most on your social-networking sites.
Rosa Parks is remembered as one of the most fearless civil rights activists in history. So it's fitting that her birthday, February 4, has been deemed the National Day of Courage, when we are all encouraged to raise our voices against injustice.
The Henry Ford Museum in the Detroit area, where Parks spent the latter half of her life, plans to pay tribute to her with a day of special events. But the museum overlooked an important detail: Parks didn't harm animals for food. She was a vegetarian. And a celebration of her life and her legacy should be, too. So PETA raised our voices and asked the museum to honor all of Parks' convictions by serving vegetarian food.
Parks is, of course, best known for her work to end segregation and racism. But like her friend, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Parks soon broadened her base to advocate for all socially disadvantaged people. And she, like Dr. King's widow, Coretta Scott King, and his son, Dexter Scott King, went on to embrace other disadvantaged species. Believing that animals should also be free from being subjugated and abused, Parks became a vegetarian and King's widow and son both went vegan.
Not only did Rosa Parks refuse to give up her seat on the bus, she also refused to go along with the idea that it's OK to inflict suffering on others for her own ends. In honoring her legacy, we should do the same.
Miley Cyrus' fans have watched her grow into a gorgeous young woman with a kind and compassionate heart, so to celebrate her 20th birthday on November 23, PETA is surprising Miley with something that she really wants.
During a recent appearance on Ellen, Miley talked about how much she loves pigs, so PETA sponsored a very special pig in her honor. Nora, whom PETA helped rescue, is a resident at Kindred Spirits Sanctuary, a picturesque farm in Ocala, Florida, that gives refuge to animals who have been abused, neglected, or abandoned, including pigs, cows, goats, sheep, chickens, turkeys, horses, and donkeys.
Miley proved her affection for pigs when she retweeted a PETA action alert to her 10 million followers asking them to urge Walmart to ban its suppliers from cruelly confining pigs to tiny metal-barred gestation crates for months at a time.
And the singer's compassion for animals doesn't stop there. She lavishes love on her rescued dogs and consistently encourages people always to adopt and never buy. And she's striving to rid her diet of dairy products.
Miley's fans are awesome animal advocates, too. They've set up a special fundraising page where people can donate to PETA's lifesaving work for animals in honor of the compassionate birthday girl.
Happy birthday, Miley! We love you!
Written by PETA
You say it's your birthday? PETA wants to party with you. We have a neat new Web feature that lets you make your own webpage on PETA's site for your birth month. Your friends and family can use it to wish you a happy birthday and give gifts for animals on your behalf. You can ask for spay or neuter surgeries, toys for lonely backyard dogs, days off for working animals—whatever strikes your fancy. And you can rake in gifts too. This month, the birthday guy or girl who earns the most gifts for animals will win a PETA tote bag filled with a shirt, a travel mug, vegan lip balm, a pin, and a "Peace to All" necklace.
The contest runs from March 1 through March 31, and the winner will be announced on April 1. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited.
Let's get the party started!
Written by Michelle Sherrow
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In honor of Canada Day, we threw a little birthday bash at the Canadian Embassy in D.C. to remind the world that hundreds of thousands of baby seals have their skulls bashed in each year during Canada's annual seal slaughter.
Just because this year's seal hunt is over, it doesn't mean that we should let the Canadian government off the hakapik hook! Keep up the pressure all year round by staying active online.
Written by Amy Elizabeth
Joined by some fabulous Bollywood besties, PETA India celebrated its 10th birthday last week with a gala, at which vegan delights abounded and awesome melodies sounded. Hosted by superstars and longtime PETA supporters John Abraham, Hema Malini, Anoushka Shankar, Raveena Tandon, and Atul Kasbekar, the epic event featured performances by Ash Chandler and ishQ Bector, and lucky guests got the best goodie bags ever—cruelty-free chocolates and cosmetics included.
Happy birthday, PETA India!
Written by Logan Scherer
Tomorrow is the birthday of PETA's favorite British comedian (Ricky Gervais … obviously), so PETA Europe has teamed up with Animal Rahat to give him a very unusual present … a bullock! Well, they haven't exactly gift-wrapped and mailed him a bullock—that would just be wrong—but they have rescued and retired a hardworking bullock through Animal Rahat and named the lucky guy "Ricky" in Gervais' honor.
Gervais' cute namesake is a 20-year-old bull who has worked the sugar mill district in Sangli, India, his entire life and would have been sent to slaughter if Animal Rahat had not rescued him.
PETA Europe wanted to give Ricky an extra-special birthday present this year for being such a great sport for animals. As you may recall, the star launched into a hilarious "tirade" earlier this year against organizations that send animals to people in developing countries. Recognizing that impoverished people often lack the basic means to feed and care for the animals they receive, Ricky remarked, "There's nothing in it for the goat!"
Add to that the letter he sent to Gordon Brown asking for an end to the use of real bearskins for The Queen's Guards' caps and his teaming up with Pink to voice one of the characters in our Stolen for Fashion CGI video, and you have one compassionate comedian who deserves a great big "Thank you!"
Happy birthday, Ricky.
Written by Shawna Flavell
Yesterday, PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk turned 60! (Can you believe it? She says, "Yes, count the crow's feet!") Our staff asked supporters who wanted to wish Ingrid a happy birthday to send a donation to one of her favorite programs, Animal Rahat. And boy, did you come through. So far, birthday well-wishers have donated more than $12,000 to Animal Rahat, and that means the world to all those bulls and donkeys!
The folks at Animal Rahat were tickled to be the recipients of such generous gifts, so they made a birthday cake and gave out celebratory fresh grass (a big treat for the animals) and vital nutrition packs along the village roadways. Here are some photos of the big shindig:
For those of you who aren't familiar with Animal Rahat's work, it provides desperately needed relief—such as food, veterinary care, water stations, and portable sunshades—to working animals in India. It also runs relief camps where injured, sick, and debilitated animals can recuperate as well as a retirement center where elderly animals can live out their golden years in comfort. Check out these photos of Animal Rahat in action:
Thank you all for helping to improve the lives of these working animals.
Tomorrow, PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk will celebrate her big 6-0, and we've received some queries from people wondering what to get her. Well, wonder no more, friends. We've got just the thing!
One cause that's very close to Ingrid's heart is Animal Rahat, and no wonder: Animal Rahat helps hard-working bullocks, donkeys, ponies, and horses in India, where Ingrid spent much of her childhood. Animal Rahat gives them relief (that's what "rahat" means) from the heat, water to quench their raging thirst, a place to rest when they fall lame, veterinary care for their yoke and harness injuries, and sometimes even fodder during periods of draught when the subsistence farmers who own them can't afford to feed them.
Rahat also offers a program that allows bullocks to retire and live out their lives with their human families instead of being sent to slaughter. You may recall the story we shared with you recently about Shilya's retirement—and he's just one of Rahat's success stories.
Animal Rahat is doing great things for some of the least fortunate animals on Earth. To help them out—and to sign Ingrid's birthday card—just zip over here.
Written by Jeff Mackey
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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