Written by Michelle Kretzer
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.
To keep up with what all your favorite stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter.
Written by Jeff Mackey
Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) is the last facility in the country that still abuses cats for Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) training, in defiance of modern science and ethics. Now PETA has obtained alarming undercover video footage of cats being subjected to these cruel training exercises in a recent WUSTL PALS course conducted in conjunction with St. Louis Children's Hospital.
Despite the availability of superior, lifelike simulators, which are used instead of animals at all of the more than 1,000 other PALS training facilities in the U.S., WUSTL continues to lock nine cats in its laboratories. Several times a year, trainees repeatedly force hard plastic tubes down the animals' delicate windpipes in a crude attempt to learn to intubate human infants.
The video shows unskilled trainees struggling for several minutes to intubate two helpless cats named Elliott and Jessie, botching the attempts to shove tubes down their windpipes and mishandling metal instruments in ways that could break the cats' teeth. As several participants in the video note, the inadequately anesthetized cats even begin to wake up during the procedure.
A WUSTL veterinarian is seen discussing how each cat is subjected to as many as 15 intubations each session, even though studies show that intubating animals more than five times per session can cause pain and trauma. The veterinarian and course leader also admit that some cats' windpipes are injured during the exercise, which can cause potentially fatal bleeding, swelling, scarring, and collapsed lungs. Each of the cats held captive at WUSTL is subjected to this miserable procedure up to four times a year.
Even the American Heart Association (AHA), which created the curriculum and sponsors the PALS course, confirmed to PETA last month, "We do not endorse or require the use of animals during the AHA-PALS training because of advances and availability of simulation mannequins."
Please urge officials at WUSTL and St. Louis Children's Hospital to stop causing cats to suffer for intubation training and to use effective, non-animal training methods instead.
The eastern United States is buzzing about the impending cicada season. There are even websites dedicated to the emergence, such as Cicada Tracker, Magicicada, and Cicada Mania on Facebook. Since the periodical cicadas we will see this summer emerge only once every 17 years, here are a few things you may not remember about them from their last appearance in 1996:
gardener41 | cc by 2.0
1. They offer free lawn care. When cicadas burrow, they aerate the soil.
2. Although they use different sounds to relay different messages, cicadas are often humming to attract mates. When you're listening to that sweet summer sound, think of it as being like a Marvin Gaye song.
3. Periodical cicadas aren't dangerous to plant life. Seventeen-year cicadas aren't fans of vegetables or flowers. They prefer to get their leafy greens from trees. During the month that they live, they don't typically harm trees, but if homeowners are worried, they can encase small trees in pond netting or spun polyolefin.
4. They respect "quiet hour" laws. Unlike the college kids down the street, cicadas play their music loud only during the day.
5. According to ancient Chinese tradition, cicadas are powerful symbols of rebirth. The fact that they mature underground for 17 years just to enjoy a few weeks of life gives "YOLO" a whole new meaning. This summer, while you're enjoying the peaceful hum of the cicadas, remember to "LALL": Live and let live.
Great Britain has united against circuses that force wild animals to perform. With the vast majority of the British public behind them, the members of Parliament voted unanimously to ban wild-animal acts in circuses in England and Wales.
iStockphoto.com/GlobalP
Pressure has been mounting for the past few years for the government to make this historic move, particularly after animal rights advocates released an undercover video that showed a groom at Bobby Roberts Super Circus who kicked an Asian elephant named Anne and beat her with a pitchfork. PETA U.K. kept up the anti-circus momentum, with demonstrations, ads, newspaper articles, and action alerts asking its members to e-mail the prime minister. Now Britons can pop a cork and celebrate the fact that legislation to ban all wild animals from circuses is passing through Parliament, meaning no more wild animals will be torn from their homes and families, denied everything that is natural and important to them, confined to tiny boxcars or cages, and forced to perform demeaning and painful tricks for human amusement.
Circuses in England and Wales will go on—but with talented human performers who are there by choice.
We aren't there yet in the U.S.—but the time is coming. Check out PETA's guide "Steps to Take When the Circus Comes to Town" for ideas on how to help. England and Wales are ending these cruel acts, and we can, too.
Karl Mitchell's days of terrorizing big cats in Nevada's Nye County are numbered now that the notorious animal abuser and unrepentant lawbreaker has had his permit to keep exotic animals revoked by the county's board of commissioners based on information that it received from PETA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Like Abu Ghraib for Tigers
Mitchell, who owns an appalling tiger menagerie called Big Cat Encounters, has been exhibiting animals even though his exhibitor's license was permanently yanked by the USDA in 2001, meaning that the county shouldn't have issued him a permit in the first place.
In February 2012, PETA called on the USDA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to seek criminal charges against Mitchell for exhibiting tigers and transporting them across state lines without a license. The federal investigations are still pending.
Over the years, the USDA has cited Mitchell repeatedly for a wide range of atrocious Animal Welfare Act violations, which include cruelly withholding water as a training technique, continuing to exhibit big cats illegally, and failing to provide animals with adequate veterinary care and living conditions and palatable food and water—just to name a few. Mitchell has also been slapped with three cease-and-desist orders (which he, of course, defied) and more than $100,000 in fines.
What You Can Do
Although Mitchell is a particularly flagrant and disgraceful example of the low ethical standards of his industry, misery is inescapable for all animals who are imprisoned so that they can furnish a momentary diversion instead of living their natural lives in freedom. Please never patronize any captive-animal attraction.
Now here's some real appointment television: On Earth Day—Monday, April 22—at 7 p.m. EDT (check your local listings for the time in your region), HBO will premiere the documentary An Apology to Elephants. Watch a preview here.
In his review, David Wiegand of the San Francisco Chronicle says that Apology, narrated by Lily Tomlin, is "impossible to ignore because of the irrefutable arguments made by its savvy combination of testimony from animal experts and images of elephants being abused."
Since HBO began working on this project more than two years ago, PETA has been on board offering information and documentation. The documentary features pictures and video footage provided by PETA, including photos from a whistleblower that document the shockingly cruel way in which Ringling Bros. circus breaks the spirit of baby elephants and video footage from a Ringling elephant walk showing bullhook abuse. Viewers will see elephants Maggie—who suffered alone for years at the Alaska Zoo before being sent to a sanctuary following a lengthy PETA campaign—and Nosey, in whose behalf PETA has been working for years.
Among the experts who participated in the documentary are Dr. Mel Richardson and Dr. Joyce Poole. Also appearing is passionate young animal advocate Rose McCoy, who once schooled McDonald's execs over their failure to reduce the suffering of chickens.
Besides watching An Apology to Elephants yourself, encourage others to tune in, too—and tell them never to buy a ticket to any circus that uses animals.
President Barack Obama's new $100 million BRAIN Initiative (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) is intended to provide insight into human brain function and behavior to help find cures for diseases. But considering that the project's leadership committee is dominated by animal experimenters who have little experience in human brain research, it's doubtful that the initiative will be either "advanced" or "innovative" or that it will produce results relevant to humans.
So PETA is appealing to the National Institutes of Health, which was tasked with selecting scientists for the panel, to shake up the leadership committee and include scientists who are engaging in the human-based research necessary to solve human health problems.
Sixteen of the 17 panel members are involved primarily in archaic animal experiments, which have consistently failed to find cures for human brain disorders because of fundamental biological differences between species. In fact, in a recent Reuters article on the BRAIN Initiative, Dr. Christer Nordstedt, Eli Lilly and Co.'s vice president of neuroscience research, said, "We've been handicapped by the fact that we have been studying diseases in animals that don't really exist in animals. Mice don't get depression. They don't get schizophrenia. They don't get Alzheimer's disease."
Including at least some of the thousands of researchers who use ethical, human-based research methods, such as advanced imaging and other modern technology, will offer insights into the human brain that are not possible through experiments on animals. That means that the initiative will get closer to finding cures without tormenting animals in cruel and deadly experiments and wasting more taxpayer money.
You can help by e-mailing your senators and representatives and urging them to divert taxpayer funds away from animal experiments and into relevant, lifesaving human-based research.
Every day, PETA's Community Animal Project (CAP) staffers respond to calls about animals who are malnourished, feral, sick, injured, trapped in storm drains, stuck in trees, dying on the side of the road, or kept chained 24/7 365 days a year. Mya and Becky are two formerly chained dogs who were rescued, thanks to PETA.
Mya had nothing more than a crumbling lean-to for shelter amid piles of trash. But after a social worker saw her living in such deplorable conditions, she asked the owners to consider parting with her. After they agreed, the social worker immediately called PETA.
Our friends at the wonderful open-admission Virginia Beach SPCA (VBSPCA) shelter accepted beautiful Mya, and she already has an application for adoption.
PETA staffers spotted Becky while they were delivering straw bedding to chained dogs elsewhere. This beautiful dog spent all day every day dragging a heavy logging chain around a ramshackle pen.
After CAP's repeated visits to the home to give Becky straw, toys, treats, and TLC, her owners agreed to give her a shot at finding a home where she would be allowed to live indoors with the rest of the family. Again, our good friends at the VBSPCA stepped up, and now things are looking up for Becky.
Support open-admission shelters like the Virginia Beach SPCA. Workers at such shelters never turn away an animal in need because they know that animals are more than statistics.
Written by Alisa Mullins
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.
Buried deep in President Barack Obama's 244-page budget proposal is this gem: a reprieve for America's horses. The new budget plan includes a request for Congress to reinstitute a prohibition on the funding of U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors at horse slaughter plants, which would effectively put the kibosh on budding plans to resume slaughtering horses on U.S. soil. Translation? The Obama administration wants horse slaughter to stay illegal in the U.S.
A similar spending prohibition was implemented in 2005, but it was struck down in 2011. And now several companies are trying to reopen horse slaughterhouses in New Mexico and other Western states.
This defunding measure would be an invaluable stopgap to prevent horses from being slaughtered in this country while Congress debates the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, which would not only outlaw horse slaughter in the U.S. but also close the loophole that currently allows horses to be cruelly shipped to Mexico and Canada for slaughter. This bill must pass or American horses will continue to die—even if it's not on our own soil.
Please contact your congressional representatives and urge them to support this budget measure. And to protect horses in the long term and prevent them from being shipped over the border to slaughter, please also urge them to support the SAFE Act.
It might have looked to passersby like we were having a sleepover at the Bob Barker Building, PETA's Los Angeles office. Throngs of teens and kids came in toting blankets as well as bags full of leashes, collars, toys, and towels to donate to homeless animals at shelters run by L.A. Animal Services. But this wasn't your average blanket drive.
Some of the most compassionate young stars in Hollywood came out to support peta2 (PETA's youth division) and PETA Kids, the joint hosts of the event. Renee Olstead, Christian Serratos, Fivel Stewart, Haley Pullos, Pia Toscano, Miranda Mayo, Bret Lockett of the New York Jets, and Randall of "Honey Badger Don't Care" fame collected donations, took pictures with fans, and helped kids make buttons to take home and catnip toys for the shelters' cats. At the end of the day, we had collected more than 19 boxes full of donations and mountains of goodwill for animals.
Renee Olstead, who had the initial idea for the shelter drive, serenades the crowd with "At Last" by Etta James.
Christian Serratos helps sort donated items.
Haley Pullos greets rescued PETA pup Tyson.
Kids make catnip toys for the cats and buttons for themselves.
Bret Lockett tries out his Dancing With the Stars moves with PETA's Michelle Cho.
The kids had a blast with Randall.
Renee celebrates a successful day.
Carrie Underwood's pretty pipes have made her one of the most influential artists in country music. But now she's piping up about something truly ugly: "ag-gag" bills. Currently being considered in several states, these unconstitutional bills would make it illegal for anyone to shoot video on factory farms in order to expose cruelty to animals, in essence making whistleblowers out to be criminals. That doesn't sit well with this vegan gal, who tweeted, "'@nytimes: Taping of Farm Cruelty Is Becoming the Crime nyti.ms/10HpjWn' What the what? Terrorism? Really? Dumbest. Idea. Ever."
Elsewhere on Twitter, Amanda Seyfried joined multitudes of celebrities and supporters in defending PETA's euthanasia policy, Ireland Baldwin declared that she's going to go vegan (with a little help from PETA)—we sent her a vegan starter kit, Paul McCartney's "Glass Walls" video, and cookbooks to help her get started—and Leona Lewis vented about England's Grand National horse race:
We love our "Never Be Silent" campaign, and Waka Flocka Flame does, too: He never passes up an opportunity to speak up against the cruelty of fur. This time, in an interview with AOL's TheBoombox, Waka called fur "nasty as hell." We couldn't agree more.
Two and a Half Men's Jon Cryer didn't pass up the opportunity to brag about his two rescued dogs in his Us magazine "25 Things You Don't Know About Me" article.
And over on NBC, Jimmy Fallon's Late Night audience simultaneously screamed with delight and "Awww"ed when the host talked about how überhunk Ryan Gosling has teamed up with PETA to ask for more humane treatment of cows on dairy farms.
Hey, girl. Ryan Gosling wants you to keep up with what he's doing for animals by following @PETA on Twitter.
PETA is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of any individual who may have caused a rash of sudden deaths among thoroughbred horses in California, currently being investigated by the California Horse Racing Board.
Acute, unexpected deaths are rare for thoroughbreds, but since July 2011, at least 26 horses in California have died suddenly—seven of them from the barn of prominent trainer Bob Baffert.
Horses die every day in racing from causes that are appallingly preventable, but these deaths are different. Necropsy reports show that at least one of the horses suffered from massive internal bleeding from unknown causes, and others reportedly died of apparent heart failure from unknown causes. An abrupt spike in the number of sudden, unexplained deaths—followed by reportedly inconclusive necropsy results—inevitably raises concerns about possible foul play.
If you or someone you know has information about these suspicious deaths, PETA wants to hear about it—and if that information results in a conviction, it could earn the person who reported it both a $5,000 reward and the satisfaction of knowing that the culprit or culprits will be held accountable for these deaths. The whistleblower hotline is 757-962-8383—all calls will be kept confidential.
To help eradicate even more suffering of horses used for racing, speak out today.
Paul McCartney once went to Kansas City to get his baby back, and now PETA is blazing the same trail to help teens get their baby faces back.
A new study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that teenagers who drank more milk had more problems with acne. It confirmed similar findings by the Harvard School of Public Health. So PETA plans to take this message to high schools around the country, starting with the ad that we've placed in the Kansas City, Missouri, metro area:
Besides being crappy for the complexion, milk is cruel to cows. Want to save face? Grab a carton of tasty nondairy soy, almond, or rice milk the next time you're at the grocery store and keep your skin and your conscience clear.
Police are investigating the shooting of an elephant used by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The incident reportedly occurred outside the Bancorp South Arena in Tupelo, Mississippi, early on the morning of April 9. Knowing Ringling's shady history when it comes to animals (some years ago, a trainer traveling with Ringling shot a tiger to death while the animal was locked in his cage), PETA is urging authorities to interview all circus employees carefully. Also, as usual, it appears that no veterinarian was on the road with the circus despite a history of animal illnesses and injuries. So with only the self-interested circus's word to rely on, who knows if the elephant is receiving proper care? PETA has increased the reward for information leading to a conviction in the attack.
iStockphoto.com/dickysingh
Numerous Ringling workers have histories of animal abuse, which is why PETA is urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and local law enforcement to look particularly closely at the circus's employees—some of whom have been caught on film beating elephants with sharp, heavy bullhooks and some of whom are the subjects of recent sworn eyewitness complaints about animal abuse—when seeking the culprit or culprits in this incident.
To help authorities find the person or persons responsible for this horrendous act, PETA will be adding up to $5,000 to the $250 reward offered by former 1st Congressional District Rep. Travis Childers. Because shooting an Asian elephant is a violation of the federal Endangered Species Act, the FWS is also offering a $5,000 reward.
PETA is also asking the USDA to inspect the injured elephant and ensure that she is receiving adequate treatment. Ringling has a long record of failing to provide elephants used in its shows with adequate veterinary care. The circus commonly travels without a veterinarian—despite the large number of animals it carts all over the U.S.—and the veterinarians it does have often sign off on allowing ailing elephants to perform painful tricks.
Even without the threat of being shot, Ringling's elephants must regularly endure violence and distress. Please urge the USDA to confiscate all the ailing animals from Ringling for placement with reputable sanctuaries. Never, ever patronize circuses that use animals, and tell others to avoid them as well.
Come on—you know we couldn't let Justin Timberlake's performance at the White House go unmarked by a tribute to his immortal Saturday Night Live skit in which he (literally) sang the praises of vegan eating:
Are you thinkin' about your he-ealth, oh, oh? Then veg out! No meat, so chic.
It would break your heart to see the difference that a simple doghouse can make in a dog's life. One recent beneficiary of PETA's doghouse delivery program is Passion, who was spotted by a PETA fieldworker when our Community Animal Project visited the trailer park in which she lives to help a neighbor transport her dog to our no-cost to low-cost spay/neuter clinic. Our fieldworker found Passion—and her pitiful excuse for a doghouse, a collection of metal and wood filled with gaps that had done virtually nothing to keep her warm or dry this winter.
We replaced her decaying, makeshift lean-to with a sturdy, weatherproof doghouse and filled it with straw (which doesn't freeze as towels and blankets do when they get wet). Like all our outdoor clients, Passion also received a lightweight, tangle-free tie-out to replace her heavy chain, a toy and a treat, clean water, and a few minutes of affection, which means the world to a dog stuck outside alone 24 hours a day. Passion was so excited by her new house and all the attention she was getting that her whole body wiggled with delight. It was as if she'd won the lottery.
Countless neglected "backyard dogs" don't have so much as a cardboard box to shelter them from the wind and rain. PETA fieldworkers have found dogs shivering during lashing nor'easters with nothing more to protect them from the elements than end tables, patio chairs, overturned barrels, shells of air-conditioning units, and pieces of plywood propped against fences. Some didn't even have those. During the winter, these dogs run the risk of suffering from exposure or frostbite or becoming dehydrated when water bowls freeze. During the summer, lack of access to water or shade can be fatal when the temperatures soar.
Dogs are pack animals who crave the companionship of others. There are few things worse for a dog than "solitary confinement" on a chain or in a pen or kennel. That constant barking that drives the neighbors crazy? It's a cry for help.
If you know someone with an "outdoor dog," offer to play or go on walks with the pup. Take treats and toys, which mean so much to a dog who would otherwise have nothing to do but watch the mud dry. Make sure that the dog has adequate food, water, and shelter (required by law), and report neglect to animal control. And use our resources to help get a chaining ban passed in your community.
Just what exactly is PETA doing to help combat the animal overpopulation crisis and provide vulnerable animals with assistance? This infographic breaks it down:
Help animals in your neighborhood as well as low-income areas get spayed and neutered, promote adoption from animal shelters instead of buying from breeders or pet stores, and demand appropriate animal-care standards in your community.
Visit PETASaves.com for more information.
Little Olivia was found in a warehouse district and brought to PETA by a distraught worker. She needed round-the-clock veterinary care to treat an infection that almost left her blind, anemia so severe that she was a candidate for a blood transfusion, and advanced malnutrition. Soon, Olivia slowly started to regain her strength. She had clearly been someone's companion since she was spayed and declawed, but she wound up wandering about by herself and no one knew why. PETA ran ads, but no one responded to them or to the "found animal" reports that we filed or to our fliers. Her background remains a mystery.
Despite everything that she had endured, Olivia still loved humans, especially the devoted PETA fieldworker who spent the night on the floor with her the first few nights of her sojourn with us. We wanted to make sure that her gentle spirit and seemingly endless desire for affection would never be taken for granted again. Even though we placed Olivia's picture and an appeal to adopt her on the front page of PETA's website, alerted our members and supporters through Facebook, and put fliers around town, we didn't find a suitable adopter. Luckily, a PETA staffer who had taken her in to foster decided that the precious cat should stay. She loves her feline brother, Clyde, who is also a PETA rescue.
Although some people can pay top dollar for a Yorkshire terrier, that doesn't always mean that the little dog will have a great home. And poor Benny certainly didn't. PETA found him dodging traffic on a dangerous street and took him to our headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia. He had a collar but no tags or microchip, and again, although we filed reports and posted fliers and ads, no one bothered to claim him.
Even though Yorkies are popular, Benny had been through enough, and not just anyone who wanted a cute tiny dog would make a suitable adopter. It took a lot of looking for a home, but thanks to a local vet clinic, PETA found a retired couple who had just had to euthanize one of their two Yorkies because of old age and failing health. When we visited with the family at their home, they fit Benny to a T, and Benny is now helping the other dog stop grieving.
It isn't easy to find decent, lasting homes for animals—not just homes where they will be sheltered, fed, walked, and sometimes petted but homes where animals are respected members of the family. Every animal deserves companionship, excellent vet care, playtime, fun outings to the park or beach (for dogs), and a peaceful, painless release when their lives have come to an end. PETA won't compromise our standards and send an animal into a substandard home just to make our adoption rates look good.
So, can you help? We are now searching for the perfect home for Bea. She was found wandering the streets, and although she is in good health and thus likely hasn't been on her own for long, no one seems to want to claim her.
Bea is a calm, sweet beagle-Chihuahua mix who weighs about 25 pounds. She is young and housetrained. She gets along well with children and other dogs and would be happiest with someone who is often home. She is irresistible.
If you think that your family is the perfect adoptive family for Bea and you would like to help with our next success story, please e-mail us at Adopt@peta.org.
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!
© StarMaxInc.com
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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