Tim Sackton/CC by 2.0

When killing time came, a Concordia, Kansas, high school student wasted not a minute in taking action to save a friend. No way, no how was Whitney Hillman going to bind her beloved chicken's feet with wire and chop his head off over a bucket, as an animal husbandry teacher at Concordia High School had instructed her class to do. Instead, Whitney placed Chicklett Chicken-Hillman in her bag and headed home.

Whitney's decision landed her a two-day, in-school suspension—but Chicklett was saved and sent to live on a farm. Does Whitney have any regrets? Heck no! She gladly accepted her punishment for leaving school grounds, paid the school for Chicklett, and has refused to apologize for her actions, noting that her previously stated objections were ignored by the instructor.  

PETA's youth division, peta2, is sending Whitney a big "thank you!" for recognizing that chickens are friends (in Chicklett's case, even Facebook friends), not food. History will look back kindly on this compassionate student.

Written by Karin Bennett

This story's got it all: the good, the bad, and the ugly. It's just sort of in reverse order. Think: bad beginning but great ending for a few hundred fish and snails!

On an average day, PETA's Cruelty Investigations Department receives dozens of phone calls from caring individuals who have witnessed—and wish to report—cases of animal abuse. One recent tip came from a Wal-Mart customer, who overheard employees say that the store was undergoing renovations and that it would no longer be selling fish. In theory, that's good news. Unsold fish would have been “dry-bagged,” causing them to suffocate to death.

Our Cruelty Investigations Department immediately swam into action. The result: Wal-Mart agreed to give all the fish to PETA, and our staff rushed to pick them up—with no time to spare. Several hundred fish and snails were removed and many are now living in the lap of luxury with PETA staffers.

This is, I'm sure, a welcome change for the fish, who are intelligent little animals (they can even eavesdrop just as we do!).

While we ordinarily would never advocate putting any fish in a tank, these little guys—who would have suffered a prolonged, terrifying death—are now swimming, jumping, and diving their way around their new spacious tanks, which are full of plants, clean water and shipwreck loads of stimulation to keep them happy. Thanks to the PETA staffers who have graciously provided these fish with a great new home!

Posted by Jennifer Cierlitsky