Written by Jeff Mackey
Actor and PETA pal Jenna Dewan-Tatum has added her name to those of the tens of thousands of compassionate people calling on Riverside County, California, District Attorney Paul Zellerbach to file felony cruelty charges against those responsible for the horrific neglect of animals at Global Captive Breeders, LLC (GCB).
© StarMaxInc.com
Following PETA's undercover investigation of Lake Elsinore, California–based GCB, which revealed the systemic, daily neglect and shocking abuse of thousands of rats and reptiles, more than 30,000 of you have signed on to PETA's petition urging Zellerbach to take action.
On December 12, based on PETA's evidence, law-enforcement officials mounted the largest-ever seizure of animals in California at GCB. The facility reeked of death, decay, and ammonia from accumulated urine and feces. Snakes and other reptiles at GCB were so neglected that, in many cases, even their deaths went unnoticed by management—for days, leaving enclosures and rotting carcasses teeming with maggots.
Rats were routinely grabbed by the tail and slammed against hard surfaces when workers decided to kill them. Then they were thrown into trash bins or into a reptile's cage while still alive and convulsing. Tubs used for housing flooded frequently, drowning countless rats and leaving hundreds of others—exhausted, shivering, and terrified—to struggle to keep their heads above the water as it rose. As Jenna explains in her letter to Zellerbach:
As an expectant mother, I was particularly heartbroken to see photos of ailing mother rats with open wounds on their bodies who stood guard protectively over their dead or dying babies in the filthy plastic tubs that they were confined to without access to adequate food, water, or even moderately fresh air to breathe… Justice must be served for the unspeakable suffering endured by countless animals at GCB.
Please join PETA and Jenna Dewan-Tatum in politely urging Zellerbach to file criminal charges against all appropriate parties without further delay.
Written by Michelle Kretzer
International Women's Day, March 8, is a day for women to celebrate the many victories that we have achieved in our fight for equality, to honor all the gutsy gals who made it happen, and to collaborate to make the future bright for girls.
PETA has been proud to work with many powerful women of every age, race, and sexual orientation to help animals. The following brazen beauties used their most valuable asset—their minds—to speak up for the oppressed because, as Dr. Jane Goodall so eloquently put it, "If we do not do something to help these creatures, we make a mockery of the whole concept of justice":
1. Variety magazine honored Lea Michele at its annual Power of Women celebration for her work with PETA.
2. Joan Jett is a feminist icon—and she rocks for animals, too.
3. Not only does Taraji P. Henson have an angelic face, she also is an angel for our sisters in the animal kingdom, too.
4. Marlen Esparza is tough on her opponents and tough on cruelty.
5. Of course, women excel in science—and as Torrey DeVitto points out, they can do it humanely, too.
6. The list of PETA Honorary Director Pamela Anderson's brave acts for animals is endless. She proves that women can have beauty, brains, and brawn.
7. The fierce Kate del Castillo uses her powerful persona to help the defenseless.
8. WNBA star Candace Parker won't let male ballers soak up all the glory—and she won't let people glorify fur, either.
9. Ending cruelty and sexism? Jorja Fox is on the case.
10. Wendy Williams knows that women don't have to fit a cookie-cutter image to be a true beauty.
Girl power!
When rumors began swirling that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt intended to have live elephants as part of their wedding celebration, PETA wasn't buying it—after all, the couple had donated $2 million to an African wildlife sanctuary. A rep confirmed to us that Angelina and Brad have no intention of showcasing captive wild animals at their celebration and encouraged PETA to dispel the nasty rumor.
The wildlife advocates at The Body Shop have a lovely new lady on their side. Leona Lewis is bringing her spirit to the company as its new brand activist. The cruelty-free company and the cruelty-free beauty will make one harmonious pair.
Looking at blue-eyed babe Jared Leto as he rocks the stage with 30 Seconds to Mars, it’s hard to believe that he’s 41! He credits his vegan diet and plenty of sleep for still looking like he did in his Urban Legend days.
It doesn't seem like 19 years since Tia Mowry burst onto the scene in Sister, Sister, either. Now that she's vegan, maybe she'll pull another sister act and get her twin, Tamera, on the bandwagon, too.
That wagon might fill up quickly, especially following the debut of Bill Maher's riotous take on the horse-meat scandal. The comedian threw in a scathing review of the meat industry for good measure.
Woody Harrelson got nothing but great reviews for his role in The Hunger Games, and while Catching Fire won't be out until the fall, Woody's already getting two thumbs up from animal advocates for requesting all-vegan clothes and accessories for the film.
And loads more PETA-loving peeps were on fire for animals this week, too:
To keep up with what all your favorite stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter.
PETA pal Stella McCartney never kills animals for her designs, but she certainly killed it at Paris Fashion Week with her cruelty-free collection. The star-studded front row raved about her fur- and leather-free autumn/winter 2013 ready-to-wear collection. An impressed Bono astutely observed to PETA Veep Dan Mathews, "Stella is PETA's number one ally in the fashion world." Jessica Alba said, "Her clothes are just as elegant as any line that uses animals." And Stella's proud pop, Paul McCartney, noted, "I thought it was beautiful. Very clean, very strong."
Stella's comfortable yet stylish designs are universally appealing to everyone from A-listers to young professionals like me, who make a beeline for the Stella rack at Last Call Neiman Marcus. They're comfortable pieces, yes, but there's also comfort in knowing that no animals died for my fashion statement. And there's comfort in knowing that my money is going to a design house that will continue blazing the path into a brave new fashion world where creativity reaches compassionate new heights.
Update: Bob Barker has also written to Indiana legislators urging them to vote no on S.B. 373. The measure already has a strong Democratic opponent in Sen. Mark Stoops, so Barker, a lifelong Republican, hopes to unite lawmakers on both sides of the aisle against this unconstitutional bill.
The following was originally published on March 4, 2013:
Indiana's proposed "ag gag" bill made it through the Senate and has landed in the House. But multiplatinum musician Tony Kanal is calling on the state, where he spent time as a child, to do the right thing and squash this very wrong bill. Indiana Sen. Mark Stoops is joining Tony in speaking out against the bill, having likened it to his trip to Communist-era Romania, in which he was prohibited from taking photos. Says Sen. Stoops, "This is an attack on our 1st Amendment rights and another example of Big Government protecting industry at the expense of the public's welfare."
Like other "ag gag" bills, Indiana's version, Senate Bill (S.B.) 373, would make it illegal for people to film on factory farms. S.B. 373 would allow whistleblowers some protection if they handed over their video to authorities within 48 hours of capturing it. But this is a thinly veiled attempt to garner more support for the bill.
As PETA has witnessed time and again in our undercover investigations, it is crucial that investigators be able to prove that the abuse they documented was pervasive and systematic, rather than an isolated incident, in order to get the abusers convicted. In both our West Virginia Aviagen turkeys and Iowa Hormel supplier pig factory farm cases, investigators reported abuse to their supervisors, who failed to stop the abuse and, in some cases, took part in it themselves. Only with extensive video evidence was PETA able to get the abusers charged and convicted (and the abuse stopped), a point that Tony made in his letter to Speaker of the House Brian Bosma.
If you live in Indiana, please urge your representative to vote "No" on S.B. 373.
Because if factory farms have nothing to hide, why are they pushing so hard to make videotaping illegal?
Pro athletes don't do anything halfway. So studly New York Jets safety Bret Lockett wasn't content simply to pose with a strategically placed faux-leather football for his PETA anti-fur campaign. Instead, he decided to play spread offense and turn his ad unveiling into a whole weekend. First, he helped PETA dedicate our Norfolk, Virginia, headquarters to longtime supporter and Hollywood heavyweight Sam Simon.
Later that evening, Bret hosted an unveiling party at Hampton Roads hotspot the Granby Theater, greeted fans, and talked about why fur should be sidelined. "What really hurt me was when I saw that an animal was still able to move and lift [his] head up after he was completely skinned," he said. "It brought tears to my eyes."
© Charles Long Photography/PETA
And the next night, he went with the PETA gang to laugh aloud as Bill Maher made fun of hunters and other animal abusers in his stand-up performance. All weekend, wherever he went, Bret dined on vegan food, sported PETA T-shirts, and enthusiastically discussed animal rights issues with fans who approached him.
It's easy to see why No. 26 is No. 1 for animals.
How tweet it is: Ricky Martin announced to fans over Twitter that he's gone vegetarian! To help the singer get his bon-bon in top form, PETA sent him a vegetarian/vegan starter kit, copies of "Glass Walls" in both English and Spanish, and a cookbook of vegan recipes for Latin food lovers, Viva Vegan.
A little birdie also told us that many other celebrities were tweeting for animals this week as well:
Maybe Ricky will start his twin sons out on the healthy veggie path, too? Emily Deschanel is doing just that with her little one, Henry: She told Mother Nature Network, "We are raising Henry vegetarian; he will be mostly vegan and always have a choice in the matter, but we will educate him about why we make the choices we do with our food."
And vegan racecar driver Leilani Münter is putting her cause célèbre on the fast track. After the success of her Cove–themed racecar last season, this year Leilani is aiming to burn rubber in a vegan-themed car that will expose 80 million NASCAR fans to the benefits of plant-based foods.
After we're done cheering for Leilani, we'll be switching the channel over to this season of Dancing With the Stars to root for our buds Andy Dick and Kellie Pickler.
And when the cameras were pointed at Russell Simmons during New York Fashion Week, they may have gotten more than they bargained for. One of animals' greatest defenders, Simmons took the opportunity to express his feelings about fur:
I did see something that hurt my heart and it has nothing to do with Max [Azria] only, it has to do with the whole industry: the use of so much fur. And my first instinct was it must be fake—because it hurt my heart. … I just wish that all the designers would reconsider because there's such great Italian fake fur, there's such great Japanese fake fur, so much beautiful fake fur.
To keep up with what Russell and all your favorite stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter.
As Hollywood's brightest arrived at last night's Academy Awards, they were sure to be asked, "Who are you wearing?" But the real story is who they weren't wearing since cruelly produced animal fur was noticeably absent from the red carpet once again.
The lovely Anne Hathaway won a well-deserved Oscar for her heart-rending performance in Les Miserables, but this vegan superstar is a winner for animals every day. Anne has been turning it out all through awards season, and this time was no exception, landing solidly on best-dressed lists in custom vegan heels from Giuseppe Zanotti. That no animals lost their skin to the leather trade for her look gives us even more reason to cheer the spectacular success that Anne calls "the cherry on top of a wonderful, wonderful dish of vegan ice cream."
Although his pro-fish ad for PETA was deemed too controversial for the Oscar broadcast, Best Actor nominee Joaquin Phoenix was also on the scene. Indeed, PETA faves abounded both inside and outside the Dolby Theatre, from Best Actress nominee and vegan Jessica Chastain and animal adoption advocate Charlize Theron (who showed off some impressive dance skills during the show) to the stunning anti-fur crusader Olivia Munn and a glowing Jenna Dewan-Tatum. The media stars in attendance included PETA pals Kelly Osbourne and Michael Strahan.
So congratulations to the winners—including the animals who didn't end up on the shapely shoulders and elegant tootsies of the attendees!
Los Angeles' STAPLES Center will become the city's vegetarian center when Morrissey plays there March 1. The music legend has asked that no "flesh as food" be served at his shows, but fans will have plenty of festive fare, including vegan sloppy Joes, vegan sushi, and grilled veggie sandwiches, to munch on while they rock out to "Meat Is Murder." And as an extra nod to animals, Moz also required that McCruelty shutter its doors for the day.
Beyoncé took a page out of Morrissey's songbook when she wanted to drop her baby weight. Bey started eating one vegan meal a day, and she's kept it up. Maybe since she's eating fewer animals, she'll consider wearing fewer animals, too?
That's what PETA is asking the Buffalo Sabres to do. When the hockey team started awarding the "player of the game" with a fur coat, we wrote to the Sabres' owner, Terry Pegula, urging him to do away with these vile gifts as the team scrambles to reinvent itself as winners after the highly publicized firing of head coach Lindy Ruff.
Usually it's Canadian sealers that seals have to worry about, but recently two young women were caught on camera hitting and kicking seals who were resting on a California beach. People were outraged, and Ian Somerhalder, along with many others, took to Twitter to defend the seals as well as other animals:
Miley Cyrus is always full of sweet tweets, so of course, she and dad Billy Ray Cyrus were on board to compete in the Twitter for the Critters Celebrity Challenge, a Twitter competition that is raising money for several animal shelters and sanctuaries.
Soon Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith's household may rival Miley's in number of rescued dogs. The couple adopted two Labrador-shepherd mixes, a brother and sister. PETA helped welcome the pups to their new home with toys, treats, and a copy of Let's Have a Dog Party!
Fellow screen legend James Cromwell has also had an exciting month. He was arrested while helping PETA disrupt a meeting at the University of Wisconsin–Madison to protest the school's painful and deadly experiments on cats. Then he joined awesome animal advocate Jane Velez-Mitchell on her show to publicize the school's crimes against cats even more.
Pretty, pleasant Pia Toscano bears a striking resemblance to another PETA pal—Lea Michele—and the similarities don't stop at their lovely faces, with voices to match and rhyming monikers. Like Lea, Pia jumped at the chance to use her platform to help stop cruelty to animals.
In her debut single, "This Time," Pia bids a powerful adieu to a bad boyfriend. And she thinks it's time that everyone broke up with two businesses that are bad for animals: the fur industry and circuses.
In an exclusive interview with PETA, Pia expounded, "It was very difficult for me to watch the videos on how fur coats are made and how these animals are brutally beaten and skinned alive. There's no excuse for that." And when talk turned to the circus, she was quick to express her disgust. "I'm a performer, and I make a conscious decision every time I get up on that stage to do what I love, but these animals, they don't have a choice, they don't have a voice, and they are not choosing this lifestyle."
Since animals don't get to choose not to be forced to perform or killed for their fur, as Pia notes, it's up to us to add our voices to the ever-growing chorus of people speaking up for them.
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.
Follow PETA on Twitter!