Written by PETA
If you're going to abuse animals, you might want to wear some protective clothing:
A fed-up rooster who was forced to fight one cockfight too many picks on somebody who is not his own size.
A marlin uses his spiked snout to show an angler how it feels to get jabbed in the mouth.
A green mamba shows an Arkansas snake fancier that captivity really bites.
A notorious exotic-animal smuggler gets shell-shocked by a turtle he is attempting to capture.
Written by Michelle Sherrow
And, this week's 10% Wool "Tag and Release" winner is ... Beth Ann! Congratulations.
Don't forget to check out the archive of past 10% Wool comic strips here. Get more information on the series and the writer here, and learn how to get Jeff's other comic, DeFlocked, into your local paper here.
It's so hot in the city, you'd think I'd be making another batch of lemonade—but I've got a hankering for some Internet Soup. It's been a while since the last batch, so dig in!
Oof! I don't know about you, but I'm full after all that soup—and guac. This Special K needs a siesta. Until next time …
Written by Karin Bennett
Note to bigwigs at animal-abusing companies: Don't offer to answer questions unless you're prepared to sit in the hot seat! When PETA learned that McDonald's vice president Bob Langert is taking questions from stakeholders—people who are affected by McDonald's actions—on McDonald's "corporate responsibility" blog, PETA Senior V.P. Dan Mathews sent in this query, which is sure to make Langert squirm:
Chickens who are killed by McDonald's suppliers have their throats cut while they are still conscious, and many suffer broken limbs or are scalded to death in defeathering tanks. As the leading U.S. purchaser of chicken meat, your company has the ability and the market power to end these abuses. When will McDonald's become a leader in animal welfare by requiring your U.S. suppliers to switch to a less cruel slaughter method that's approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is already used by McDonald's suppliers in Europe?
After all, who is more affected by McDonald's actions than the nearly 300 million chickens who are slaughtered for the chain each year? It's unlikely that Langert will respond, even though PETA is not only a stakeholder but also a company shareholder.
You can give McCruelty an earful about its abusive methods by leaving a stakeholder comment of your own or by urging the company to adopt that less cruel slaughter method, which is called "controlled-atmosphere killing."
Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post
The Gulf oil catastrophe has been hard on all animals, including the countless dogs and cats who have been surrendered at Louisiana animal shelters because their guardians have lost their jobs or left the area. But thanks to the generosity of our very own Pamela Anderson, dozens of dogs will be getting a lift from crowded shelters in Louisiana to Virginia this weekend. Pamela has paid for the dogs' local adoption, spay or neuter surgery, and flea treatment costs and will be helping volunteers walk the dogs before their journey north. Once the dogs arrive in Virginia, PETA will be holding an adopt-a-thon with the Virginia Beach SPCA in order to place the dogs in loving new homes. Special thanks also go out to American Airlines and Southwest Airlines for flying in PETA volunteers free of charge from both sides of the country to help with the dogs' move.
Want to help? The most important action we can take is to have our animals spayed or neutered in order to prevent more animals from ending up homeless and to help ensure that animal shelters have room to accommodate animals who are victims of disasters. Louisiana residents who are ready to open their hearts and homes to one of these dogs can learn about adopting at HumaneLA.org, and Virginia residents can visit VBSPCA.com.
Stay tuned for photos of Pamela and the dogs!
As if Wednesday's historic vote by the Catalan parliament in Spain to ban bullfighting wasn't enough to make you scream "Olé," we've just heard that oh-so-iconic Spanish design house Adolfo Dominguez S.A. has not only signed on to shun fur, it has also agreed not to purchase or sell exotic skins, clothing made from down plucked from live birds, or wool from Australian sheep who have endured the painful mulesing mutilation—meaning that they've have chunks of flesh cut off their backsides.
Adolfo Dominguez's aggressive animal welfare policy places the company waaaaaaaaaaaay ahead of the ethical fashion curve. For our friends in Spain, this news might warrant a spending spree. For everyone else, why not treat yourself to some fashion-forward outfits from other helpful retailers such as Gap Inc., Timberland, H&M, Liz Claiborne, HUGO BOSS, and Perry Ellis International, who have all taken action by banning fur, exotic skins, and/or wool from mulesed sheep.
Written by Jennifer O'Connor
Starting this Sunday night, HBO's Entourage gets a whole lot sexier: Adult film star and PETA supporter Sasha Grey starts her recurring role, playing herself and cozying up to Adrian Grenier's character, Vince.
With this ad, Sasha Grey has turned on countless audiences to the importance of spaying and neutering. Now's your chance to turn her on. Will you?
Countless consumers, knowing little to nothing about how to deal humanely with mice, buy the Ortho Home Defense MAX Kill & Contain Mouse Trap because it promises a quick, out-of-sight death, with "no mess." But not so fast! PETA is hearing that numerous people have been horrified to discover squeaking mice inside the traps, alive and conscious but bloody and writhing from their injuries.
After Scotts Miracle-Gro Company refused to respond to our letter detailing our concerns with these cruel devices, PETA filed a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission seeking action against the company for its misleading claims—and we've asked Scotts Miracle-Gro chair and CEO James Hagedorn to pull the traps from store shelves, as we believe that the company is violating the Federal Trade Commission Act, which prohibits unfair or deceptive acts or practices.
"Scotts' deceptive advertising is fooling people into thinking that they are buying a humane mousetrap when what they are actually getting is a miniature torture chamber," says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. Indeed, mice who become caught in these traps die slowly from stress-induced struggling, dehydration, heat prostration, or starvation.
So until further notice, put Scotts Miracle-Gro with that other company that Lowesballs both truth in advertising and compassion for mice. We promise to keep you updated on developments regarding this case—and we ask that you promise to always be kind to mice by using this humane, effective trap.
We've always said that meat is murder, but our demonstration in New York City this week literally turned that message into flesh and blood. Well, OK, the blood was fake, but the point was genuine: All meat comes from somebody. And when you show human bodies in those neatly plastic-wrapped supermarket packages, the point hits home and it begins to look like a grisly scene from Dexter.
The thought of chewing and swallowing the skin and muscle of a murder victim surely ruined some viewers' appetites for flesh food. It's the appropriate response to witnessing a gruesome display of the corpses of those who have been tormented and killed—you know, like in the butcher department of your supermarket. Let's face it, every piece of meat comes from an individual who suffered miserably and died violently. In other words, meat is … yup … murder.
Tired of being an accessory to a violent crime? Get your copy of our vegan/vegetarian starter kit here.
Written by Jeff Mackey
Project Runway's eighth season premieres tonight, and coincidentally I just heard about an opportunity to let judge Michael Kors know what we think of his designs—which include real fur. Kors tweeted that he will be answering questions from his fans in a Facebook video on August 4. Let's take him up on his offer and flood him with questions, such as "Did you know that animals are skinned alive for their fur?" and "With all the luxurious faux furs that are available, why do you continue to kill animals?" or maybe "Would you submit to a brain scan to see if your empathy neurons are underdeveloped?"
Perhaps your question will be the nudge that Kors needs to get him to follow the lead of Runway star and PETA's 2009 Man of the Year Tim Gunn. Tim narrated PETA's video exposing what animals endure for fashion, he ensures that Project Runway's challenges are never fur-related, and he has worked to make a fur-free zone out of Liz Claiborne, where he is chief creative officer.
Let's all urge Michael Kors to say "auf Wiedersehen" to fur! E-mail your questions to: events@michaelkors.com
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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