Written by Michelle Kretzer
When Tommy Lee hits the stage tonight in Calgary, Alberta, there may be a special guest in the audience to watch him drum upside down: Alison Redford, the premier of Alberta. Tommy invited her to the Mötley Crüe concert so that she could experience a "really wild show" that doesn't involve injuring and killing animals. He hopes to convince the premier to use her influence to put a stop to the deadly chuckwagon races at the annual Calgary Stampede.
© StarMaxInc.com
In the races, teams of horses are made to pull "pioneer wagons" around a track at breakneck speeds. They often collide with each other or the wagons, and more than a dozen horses have died in the event since 2009. Even after Calgary Stampede officials passed new rules last year that were intended to make the races safer for horses, three horses still sustained crippling injuries and had to be euthanized. Tommy is all for having a wild and crazy time but not when animals have to die for it.
The horses forced into the chuckwagon races die of heart attacks, broken necks, broken legs, and other injuries," he wrote to Redford. "It'd be easy to get off on western tradition without this bloody spectacle. Dude, it's the old west, not ancient Rome!
What You Can Do
Join Tommy Lee in asking Redford to put the brakes on the chuckwagon races and save horses' lives.
Written by Jeff Mackey
The always wonderful Bob Barker has stepped up yet again to help PETA save animals from suffering—this time, the animals are nine cats at a medical school that his late wife was to attend before she decided to become Mrs. Barker, Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL).
Bob, who grew up in Missouri, has sent a letter to the school's chancellor, generously offering $75,000 to fund the purchase of new state-of-the-art pediatric simulators to be used in place of the cats who are currently forced to endure repeated intubation exercises.
This is the second time that he has spoken out for cats used in this archaic exercise. Following a plea from Bob, the University of Virginia recently announced that it was abandoning its cat intubation laboratory in favor of simulators.
Since this is World Week for Animals in Laboratories, it's the perfect time for WUSTL to take Bob up on his proposal (although, of course, there's never a wrong time to help animals in laboratories). And if that weren't enough, Bob also tells the school that he would be happy to find homes for all nine cats!
WUSTL's acceptance of Bob's offer would not only give these cats a future of love and security instead of pain and fear in a laboratory—as seen in an undercover video from a recent PALS course at the university—but also better prepare the trainees to help save children's lives. As Bob mentions in his letter, a recent study from neighboring Saint Louis University School of Medicine found that using a simulator in its PALS courses—which don't include any animal laboratories—substantially improved trainees' intubation skills.
Please join Bob Barker and PETA in urging WUSTL to modernize its medical training program today.
Carrie Underwood isn't hiding her disgust about Tennessee's "ag-gag" bill—and and rightfully so. She strongly disagrees with making cruelty investigations on farms illegal and said she may just show up on the governor's doorstep if he signs the bill into law. But state Rep. Andy Holt took it upon himself to insult Carrie for voicing her opinion, saying, "I would say that if Carrie Underwood will stick to singing, I'll stick to lawmaking." That jab didn't sit well with the always-informed Underwood, who tweeted, "I should stick to singing? Wow…sorry, I'm just a tax paying citizen concerned for the safety of my family."
She then tweeted to Ellen DeGeneres, thanking her for discussing "ag-gag" bills on Ellen. And Wynonna Judd, Miley Cyrus, Tish Cyrus, and Tony Kanal all hopped on Twitter, too, to show their support for Carrie and to bash "ag-gag" bills.
Beth Stern, host of the new Nat Geo Wild show Spoiled Rotten Pets and wife of Howard Stern, is piping up, too—about Kim Kardashian's penchant for fur. "It makes me really sad," she said. "I know her sister was a poster child for PETA. I don't watch the Kardashians; I'm very aware of them, but I do know that the sister was involved, so of course that entire family would know what goes on, what happens to animals when they're wearing a fur coat."
To keep up with what all your favorite stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter.
Visiting Washington, D.C., to give a motivational speech, the dynamic Jillian Michaels—one of the nation's top fitness gurus and star of NBC's The Biggest Loser—gave another motivational speech, this one in behalf of horses. Jillian visited Capitol Hill while on her tour Maximize Your Life and secured pledges from Sens. Barbara Boxer (seen below, with Jillian) and Dianne Feinstein of California to cosponsor a bill to ban the slaughter of tens of thousands of U.S. horses (including prize-winning former thoroughbreds) by the shameless horse-meat industry. Jillian's meeting with Sen. Boxer was in a hallway near where the legislator had to rush to the floor for a vote, but so many Hill visitors (including teen tourists, interns, and lobbyists) mobbed Jillian that she and PETA Vice President Dan Mathews had to retreat to Sen. Boxer's office to discuss the issues.
Besides saving horses, the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, would also prevent toxic horse meat—it's routinely treated with a carcinogenic drug that can cause liver failure in humans—from entering the food supply. The bill, which would ban horse slaughter in the U.S. as well as the grotesquely cruel live export of horses for meat, has gained momentum following the proposed White House budget that would pull federal funding from inspections for U.S. horse-slaughter plants at a time when some states, including New Mexico, are trying to start up horse slaughterhouses again.
How You Can Help
Please join Jillian Michaels in urging your legislators to cosponsor and support the SAFE Act.
Written by PETA
If you've ever read one of PETA's "Piense Antes de Comer" leaflets or seen actor Constance Marie's spay-and-neuter billboard—or any of our countless other Spanish materials—you're already familiar with our outreach to Latinos. But at Mama's International Tamales in downtown Los Angeles yesterday, we celebrated a groundbreaking moment with the official launch of our newest outreach division, PETA Latino! And the stars were out to celebrate with us. Television star Marco Antonio Regil hosted the event, and actor Patricia De León unveiled her new pro-vegetarian ad, reading (in Spanish), "Eat Your Vegetables. They're Very Tasty." Hollywood beauties Daniella Alonso and Mayte Garcia were also there to show off their PETA ads and sample the delicious food.
Marco and Patricia both gave impassioned speeches about the importance of reaching out to the Spanish-speaking community and adopting a meat-free diet for animals, human health, and the planet. And PETA's vice president of communications, Lisa Lange, rounded out the afternoon with some words on PETA's ongoing commitment to the Latino community and anyone who wants to live a compassionate lifestyle, no matter what language he or she speaks. "Our goal," she said, "is to make PETA Latino an indispensible resource for everyone in this community."
Marco and Patricia mingled with the dozens of supporters and reporters who came out to share this groundbreaking moment for animals and even stopped to snap a picture with their matching Pure bracelets (made of all-vegan materials, of course!), made by Energy Muse, which is donating a portion of the sales of the stylish bracelet to PETA's lifesaving campaigns.
But the fun didn't end when we were done munching on delicious vegan taquitos, tamales, and pupusas. Back at the Bob Barker Building, we got back to work strengthening PETA Latino with new Spanish outreach materials, videos, and content for PETALatino.com. Check it out!
As someone who first took part in a Pride parade way back in the '80s (I was just a child, of course), I can confirm that LGBT folks love to twerk it to a sickening (in a good way) bass beat. But for captive marine mammals—many of whom navigate using an intricate sonar system—those loud noises are sickening in the worst way. That's why Project Runway's style guru and father figure, Tim Gunn, has joined PETA in appealing to the organizers of Atlanta Pride to move their annual kickoff party somewhere other than the Georgia Aquarium.
Tim stands alongside LGBT luminaries Jane Lynch and Martina Navratilova—as well as thousands of concerned Pride supporters—in requesting that the event be relocated. In his letter to the Atlanta Pride executive director, Tim asks, "As a leader of Pride, you champion the human rights of the individuals in the LGBT community. How is it possible to be simultaneously dismissive of the pain and anguish suffered by another species of mammal?"
Those who have experienced prejudice and oppression should know better than to inflict suffering on anyone else. Please ask Atlanta Pride to move the kickoff party to one of the city's many other venues.
Written by Alisa Mullins
Just days after the start of Canada's annual seal slaughter, Anna Karenina star Jude Law appealed to the World Trade Organization (WTO) on PETA UK's behalf, urging panelists to uphold the EU-wide ban on seal fur. The WTO's final hearing on the issue will be held on April 29.
I'm writing to urge the panel to uphold this ban, which is in line with the wishes of compassionate people all around the world, including the majority of European citizens," wrote Law in his letter to the WTO. "Even local sentiment is turning, and a lack of markets has led Canadian officials to seriously examine whether the slaughter should end.
Because of the worldwide outcry, all major markets have banned seal-fur imports, including the EU, Mexico, Taiwan, the U.S., and even Russia, which had been importing 95 percent of Canada's seal fur. The Canadian government is challenging the EU ban as a last-ditch effort to try to revive the trade.
"The purpose of the WTO is to support efficient markets, not government decisions to prop up dying industries like the seal slaughter," Law points out. "Rather than using the WTO to prop up a dying industry, Canada should pursue a buyout of the commercial sealing industry – a move that would help both seals and sealers. The world is watching and waiting – please uphold the EU ban."
We have reached a tipping point in the campaign but still need your help. Please speak up for seals by taking action.
Tennessee lawmakers passed the state's proposed "ag-gag" bill, which would require video shot on factory farms in order to expose animal abuse to be turned over to law enforcement within 48 hours. The governor has 10 days to sign or veto the bill, and Tennessee resident Carrie Underwood is determined to stop the unconstitutional bill in its tracks. She expressed her outrage over Twitter: "Shame on TN lawmakers for passing the Ag Gag bill. If Gov. Bill Haslam signs this, he needs to expect me at his front door. Who's with me?"
Advocates for animals and free speech can join Carrie by tweeting polite messages to @BillHaslam.
As always, scores of celebrities reached millions of Twitter users with animal-friendly messages this week:
The mercury is just now starting to rise, but Eva Mendes is already devising ways to make the fall fur-free. Disappointed that designers continue to use real fur, she is releasing her own animal-friendly evening-wear collection. Eva, who proved that she would rather go naked than wear fur, told Look magazine, "Within the fashion industry I can't believe designers still use real fur in their designs when it's so easy to make faux fur. It's cheap and looks great."
And speaking of rising mercury, feast your eyes on PETA India's newest spokesperson, Vidyut Jammwal. You may not be familiar with this Bollywood star and his veggie-powered bod just yet, but you will soon want to be. As one PETA director put it, "Everyone deserves to be able to cast their eyes on him."
Had enough heat? If not, then check out our buds, fellow adoption advocates Mickey Rourke and Kellan Lutz, in their hot new thriller, Java Heat.
Nickelodeon star Daniella Monet unveiled her new ad for peta2—in which she encourages young people to let fish off the hook by not eating them—at a star-studded reception at the wildly popular all-vegan Sublime restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Sunday.
In an interview that can be viewed on peta2.com, Monet explains why she went vegetarian at the age of 5: "I went to a dude ranch with my family, and I asked a lot of questions. And I got answers that I probably needed to hear." As for people who say that they're "vegetarian" but still eat fish? "Fish aren't veggies," she says. "Fish have feelings, too, and fish are trying to live a life as well." She adds, "You don't need fish. Let the fish swim with the mermaids."
Monet also presented 12-year-old Rose McCoy—a lifelong vegan and animal rights defender—with the Nanci Alexander Activist Award, named for the owner of Sublime and a longtime PETA member. Among Rose's many accomplishments, she has spoken (remember—she's 12) at a McDonald's annual meeting and at New York City Council meetings, has formed an animal rights club, and donates a portion of her cat-sitting money to PETA's spay/neuter mobile clinics.
Also in attendance were Mexican soap star Pablo Azar, who showed off his dramatic new anti-circus PETA ad, and NY Ink star Ami James, who did likewise with a new ad starring himself and his adorable dog, Bella.
Among other stars lending glamour to the festivities was model and TV host Elisabetta Canalis, a vocal animal advocate who would rather go naked than wear fur and who memorably locked herself in a sweltering car last summer to illustrate the need to protect dogs from the heat.
Got your dancing shoes on? Several of PETA's celebrity supporters do, and they've been showing off their best moves on ABC's Dancing With the Stars (DWTS). The animal-friendly folks tripping the light fantastic this season include the following:
Andy Dick
Before he began cutting a rug on DWTS, this compassionate comic took on the cutting-up of animals for dissection and (with a valuable assist from Martin Short) hilariously showed the unfunny side of a certain fast-food clown in his memorable spots for PETA.
Karina Smirnoff
The lovely professional dancer dazzled us in her PETA ad declaring that she'd rather dance naked than wear fur!
Kellie Pickler
The country chanteuse (who's also fur-free) has been wowing the judges with her moves and winning over viewers with her sweet smile—not to mention the fit physique that earned her PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian Alive title. Being good to animals is good for your body, too!
Zendaya Coleman
Zendaya has already shown that she has all the right moves on Disney's Shake It Up—and by helping PETA help animals with a fundraiser at the vegan-friendly Millions of Milkshakes.
Carrie Ann Inaba
This PETA pal, who is seated at the DWTS judges' table, partnered with her beloved late cat, Shadow, in a stunning ad promoting spaying and neutering to end the animal-overpopulation crisis.
Keep on dancing, y'all—we'll be cheering you on every week. To us, though, everyone who steps up for animals is a Mirror Ball winner!
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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