Written by Jeff Mackey
Good news out of New York: Following September's flood in which nearly 100 animals died when they were left to drown, PETCO has announced that its Johnson City store will not sell any animals upon reopening this month. The announcement is music to the ears of Johnson City residents, dozens of whom joined a PETA-led demonstration last September aimed at keeping PETCO from reopening.
This decision will save many animals from being bred and warehoused to supply the store, which seems appropriate considering all those terrified animals who perished in the dark, cold waters. But PETCO still doesn't deserve our business until it does the right thing and stops selling animals in all its stores nationwide, given the neglect and cruelty that occur at those locations and that are rife within the chain's animal suppliers, in addition to the fact that the animal-homelessness crisis—which PETCO itself cites at its dog and cat adoption events—affects the very species the chain sells, too.
Kudos to Johnson City for forging such progress for animals in the pet trade from the devastation that struck there. And remember, folks—there's still a criminal investigation pending concerning the events leading up to those animals' horrible deaths …
How You Can Help Animals in Pet Stores
Please buy supplies for your companions only from retailers that do not sell animals.
Written by PETA
UPDATE: PETCO CEO Jim Myers announced that the company will not reopen the Johnson City store where approximately 100 animals died in flooding last month. The company is reportedly looking for another location in the village, but outraged residents don't want a PETCO store anywhere nearby. The district attorney's criminal investigation of PETCO employees' actions and the animals' deaths continues.
The following was originally posted on September 19, 2011:
PETA joined dozens of animal advocates who participated in a protest calling for PETCO to leave Johnson City, New York, after the multibillion-dollar company opted to abandon hundreds of animals—about 100 of whom drowned during massive flooding from Tropical Storm Lee.
Despite highly publicized flood warnings and mandatory evacuation orders, the company had the gall to call the flooding "completely unpredictable" and intentionally left the animals behind, which Johnson City Mayor Dennis Hannon called "absolutely disgusting." Nearly 100 animals, including birds, guinea pigs, ferrets, hamsters, mice, and reptiles, suffered and died as a result. Cars that passed the 70 demonstrators honked and waved in support, showing that Johnson City residents are ready for PETCO to start packing.
PETA and Mayor Hannon called for a criminal investigation last week, and now that investigation is under way. Please join us in thanking Broome County District Attorney Gerald Mollen for taking the case seriously. E-mail him at gmollen@co.broome.ny.us or call his office at 607-778-2423. Please be polite in your correspondence with Mr. Mollen and his office.
Written by Michelle Sherrow
The terrible destruction in Pakistan is a chilling reminder that disasters can strike anytime and anywhere. More than two weeks of relentless monsoon rains have left at least 1,600 people dead and millions more homeless, and health officials are concerned about the spread of cholera.
Animals are even more poorly equipped to survive a disaster than humans are. They are even more likely to suffer and perish since rescue efforts invariably focus on getting vital food, water, and medical care to human survivors. According to news reports, hundreds of thousands of cattle have drowned in Pakistan's floods. Surviving goats, sheep, and other animals desperately rummage for food that isn't there on muddy patches of wasteland.
As we did during other crises, including the earthquake in Haiti and Hurricane Katrina, PETA is providing support to organizations and volunteers in the affected areas who are working to care for injured and starving animals. But we can't do it alone.
Please consider making a donation to PETA's Animal Emergency Fund. With your support, we can continue our vital work to help animals wherever they may be in trouble.
Written by Paula Moore
Last Thursday, four rabbits in a Warwick Mall photo studio reportedly drowned in the floods that have been ravaging Rhode Island. Although the mall had been evacuated two days earlier, the bunnies—whom Portrait Simple studios was using as props for in-store Easter photos—were left behind in their cage on a "high shelf" in the studio. When employees returned to the studio two days later, they discovered that the cage had apparently fallen from its perch and that all the rabbits had drowned.
When PETA first heard about Portrait Simple's use of live rabbits for photos a few weeks ago, we contacted the studio and the store's director of operations told us that the rabbits were "well cared for, played with, coddled, and loved by our team members." Now, in the aftermath of these preventable deaths, we're asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to investigate and if appropriate revoke Portrait Simple's exhibitor license in order to ensure that a tragedy like this never happens at the studio again. You can help by contacting Portrait Simple and asking it to implement a "no animals" policy at its stores.
I think it goes without saying that a vote for Pamela Anderson on Dancing With the Stars (DWTS) is a vote for beauty, talent, and animals—which is why I'll be casting all twelve of my votes for her by:
Pamela's run on DWTS has been riveting. And tonight, she's bringing the season's fieriest, most fascinating dance yet: She and her partner Damian Whitewood will be performing the paso doble (the traditional Spanish dance based on the interaction between a matador and bull)—and Pamela will be using the performance as an opportunity to speak out against bullfighting.
In preparation for her performance, which she and Damian are calling "Dance, Don't Bullfight," PETA sent DWTS a sneak peek of our soon-to-be-released anti-bullfighting video starring actor, singer, and guitarist Charo. Charo also joined Pamela in rehearsal to show her some Flamenco moves to spice up her compassionate choreography. With 20,000 people taking action last week to eliminate Madrid's proposal to declare the bloody "sport" to be an activity of cultural value, Pamela's kindly orchestrated move for bulls couldn't come at a more empowering moment.
You can cast 12 votes for Pamela tonight, and if she makes it through to next week, I just might definitely will have a contest lined up for you—so vote for her!
Written by Logan Scherer
Looking for a way to rebel against a Debbie Friedman–saturated childhood this Passover?
OK, as the daughter of a Hebrew school principal/music director, maybe it's just me, but everyone should check out Jewish-vegan-reggae-rock-hip-hop artist Matisyahu, whose video for "One Day" was rated one of the 10 most inspiring videos on the Web.
In response to a suggestion that he put a shrimp on the barbie while he's in Australia, Matisyahu recently tweeted, "Sorry babe [shrimp are] not kosher plus I went vegan."
The last time Matisyahu played in Norfolk, PETA delivered him a basket of vegan treats along with the video "If This Is Kosher…" narrated by Jonathan Safran Foer. The video shows footage from an investigation at Agriprocessors, the world's largest kosher slaughterhouse.
This is the year I start a new Passover tradition by sending my dad a similar PETA gift basket, only with a Matisyahu CD and a card reading, "Beets Beat Brisket." Leave a comment with your favorite compassionate Passover tradition (or a better slogan for my card)!
Written by Heather Drennan
What do you get when you mix actor Laure Shang (winner of the 2006 season of Super Girls, China's version of American Idol), gleaming body paint, and the pro-bono expertise of acclaimed photographer Zack Zhang? You get PETA Asia's bona fide animal-saving masterpiece:
In this "Shine for Animals: Spay and Neuter" ad, Laure is educating people by letting them know that "No one should bring more animals into the world when countless cats and dogs are suffering and dying for lack of a good home." Says Shang, "I urge everyone to be part of the solution by always spaying and neutering their animal companions."
Yesterday, Sin City's angelic new law requiring residents to spay or neuter their animal companions went into effect!
Put forth by local animal defenders to help nip the companion animal overpopulation crisis in the bud, the new city ordinance mandates spaying or neutering—and microchipping—of all dogs and cats who are more than 4 months old. Those who violate the new ordinance will face a misdemeanor charge that carries a $225 fine for first-time offenders.
No doubt, the new ordinance means that many Vegas residents will no longer gamble on letting Fluffy have "just one litter," so there will be fewer puppies and kittens flooding area animal shelters or being dropped off on dusty roads to fend for themselves. And mandatory microchipping means that animal shelter employees and veterinarians will be better able to reunite people and their lost dogs and cats.
Surely I won't be the only one singing "Viva Las Vegas" today.
Written by Karin Bennett
April Fool us once, shame on you. April Fool us twice, shame on us. April Fool us thrice, and, well, we've totally got a list in the works! This year, PETA's been the object of April Fools' pranks galore, and now, in honor of our own rat-rabbit hybrid hoax, we're counting down our five favorite fools-on-us:
Tell us: What was your favorite PETA-themed April Fools' prank?
Have you tuned in to Life yet? Not to be confused with the delicious cereal of the same name or the painfully long bored game, Life is actually a 10-part documentary series that premiered on the Discovery Channel on March 21 and chronicles the complex lives of different species—from komodo dragons to cuttlefish, damselflies to pebble toads. Every episode is narrated by Oprah (could she get any cooler?), and each one has opened my eyes to so many fascinating facts about animals. Last Sunday's installment featured some aerially and aquatically nimble flying fish and resourceful anchovies. The highlight, though, was this unforgettable sequence of mud-wrestling mudskippers:
The two segments airing this Sunday are "Birds" and "Creatures of the Deep." I'm willing to bet that after you watch this preview about bowerbirds, you too will be tuning in to see which male's interior decorating skills are going to win him a mate. I know I will.
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!