Category: Demos and Events

February 8, 2024

Video: PETA U.K. Supporters Confront UMass Chancellor at Alumni Event in London

PETA U.K. supporters confronted University of Massachusetts–Amherst (UMass) Chancellor Javier Reyes at the Kimpton Fitzroy London hotel over the school’s horrific menopause experiments on marmoset monkeys. The moment that Reyes approached the microphone, PETA supporters carrying signs that read, “UMass: Stop Torturing Marmosets,” walked to the podium and shouted, “UMass has been drilling into the skulls of marmosets and tormenting them to study menopause. Marmosets don’t even experience menopause, and this research has to stop now!” Before being escorted out by security, they also shouted, “Stop the torture! Stop the pain! UMass, you are to blame”; “Monkeys feel pain, just like us! Monkeys want to live, just like us!”; and “It’s not science. It’s violence!”

Video footage is available here.

At UMass, experimenters screw electrodes onto monkeys’ skulls, cut into their necks, deprive them of water, restrain them for hours at a time, and torment them in various other ways, purportedly to study human menopause—which marmosets don’t even experience. To simulate menopause, experimenters surgically remove the monkeys’ ovaries, administer hormone-manipulating drugs, and use hand warmers on their bodies to mimic hot flashes.

“While Chancellor Reyes was enjoying himself at a swank London hotel, tiny monkeys with wires threaded through their bodies were suffering in cages,” says PETA Vice President Dr. Alka Chandna. “Reyes should shut down this shameful laboratory and embrace modern, animal-free research that’s actually relevant to humans.”

PETA has been contacted by numerous UMass alums and donors concerned about the school’s animal welfare violations. The U.S. Department of Agriculture cited the university for severely burning a marmoset with hand warmers as he was recovering from surgery, failing to alert an attending veterinarian to sick animals, and permitting several monkeys to escape and sustain injuries.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information on PETA’s investigative newsgathering and reporting, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post Video: PETA U.K. Supporters Confront UMass Chancellor at Alumni Event in London appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
February 8, 2024

‘I Never Lent You My Flesh’: PETA Message Arrives in Augusta With Vegan Fish Giveaway

Ahead of Ash Wednesday (February 14), PETA supporters will hand out free Good Catch vegan tuna fish in the heart of downtown to urge everyone to prevent fish from being impaled, suffocated, and gutted—all for a fleeting taste of their flesh—during the Lenten season. The giveaway coincides with the group’s new sky-high appeal going up near multiple eateries on Peach Orchard Road to urge would-be restaurantgoers to keep all animals off their plates during Lent and—for cod’s sake—throughout the rest of the year.

When: Saturday, February 10, 12 noon

Where: At the intersection of 10^th and Broad streets, Augusta

“Fish are intelligent, complex individuals who feel pain and fear, just as all God’s creatures do,” says PETA Vice President Daniel Paden. “PETA’s giveaway will get people hooked on delicious vegan fare that makes it easy to show mercy to animals during this period of self-reflection and beyond.”

Animals aren’t mentioned in Genesis 1:29, which states that God provides “every seed-bearing plant” and “every tree whose fruit contains seed” as food for humans. Fish are smart, social animals who share knowledge, have cultural traditions, and communicate with one another using low-frequency sounds that humans can’t hear. Some woo potential partners by singing to them or creating intricate works of art. Despite this, more fish are killed for food each year than all other animals combined. In addition, 38 million tons of other aquatic animals, such as dolphins, whales, and sea turtles, are unintentionally caught each year to satisfy humans’ demand for seafood.

PETA’s billboard is located near the intersection of Peach Orchard Road and Reedale Avenue in Augusta.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—offers a list of delicious vegan fish options, such as Gardein’s f’sh filets, Sophie’s Kitchen’s Fish Fillets, and Good Catch Plant-Based Crab Cakes, as well as a free vegan starter kit to help people get hooked on vegan food.

PETA points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post ‘I Never Lent You My Flesh’: PETA Message Arrives in Augusta With Vegan Fish Giveaway appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
February 7, 2024

‘You’re Too Old for Breast Milk’: Giant ‘Babies’ to Give Away Vegan Cheese Ahead of Super Bowl

Long Island native Edie Falco’s provocative Super Bowl ad—which spotlights dairy industry cruelty—is already kicking up a commotion before it’s even hit the airwaves, and to celebrate, PETA supporters and Humane Long Island—accompanied by a pair of giant inflatable babies armed with signs that read, “If You Can Read This, You’re Too Old for Breast Milk”—will hand out free Babybel Plant-Based cheese snacks on Friday, reminding people that cow’s milk is for calves and that vegan nosh is a winning play for everyone.

Where: 120 Veterans Memorial Hwy. #34, Commack

When: Friday, February 9, 12 noon

Credit: PETA

Falco’s ad shows a couple of shady characters bursting into her kitchen to steal her cheese. As she desperately chases after them, the surreal comedic scene suddenly cuts to somber footage of a mother cow chasing after a truck carrying away her calf—standard practice on dairy farms, which tear newborn calves away from their mothers so that the milk meant to nourish them can be sold for human consumption instead. The text reads, “Cheese Isn’t Your Baby. But It Robs a Mother of Hers. Go Vegan.”

“Cows love their babies, just like human mothers do, and cow’s milk is meant for baby cows, not for humans,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s downloadable vegan starter kits are available for everyone who wants to kick off kinder eating habits on game day and beyond.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness.

For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post ‘You’re Too Old for Breast Milk’: Giant ‘Babies’ to Give Away Vegan Cheese Ahead of Super Bowl appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
February 7, 2024

‘Man Up, Cheese Addicts!’ Female Sisyphus to Challenge Male Football Fans Ahead of Super Bowl LVIII

On Friday, ahead of Super Bowl Sunday—one of the biggest days of the year for cheese consumption—a loincloth-clad PETA member will be on Fourth Street near the Fremont Street Experience reenacting the myth of Sisyphus, who was condemned to roll a boulder up a mountain only to have it roll back down every time. She will push a giant vegan cheese wheel in downtown Las Vegas—and push everyone, particularly resistant men, to go vegan before the big game.

Where: 113 N Fourth St, Las Vegas

When: Friday, February 9, 12 noon

The display will call primarily on men, who are the most likely to whine that they “just can’t give up” dairy cheese—to “man up” and overcome their addiction. To prove how easy this is, everyone who shows up to witness the feat will be treated to complimentary creamy, dairy-free cheese wheels from Babybel, just one of the many tasty vegan cheeses now on the market.

“Men are notorious for being the most stubborn cheese addicts, and we’re challenging them to kick off Super Bowl Sunday by kicking this disgusting ‘mama’s boy’ habit for the sake of their arteries, the animals, and the Earth,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA’s display will remind everyone that sacking cruel and unhealthy dairy cheese is not a Sisyphean task.”

PETA notes that real men are protectors, not bullies, and in the dairy industry, calves are torn away from their mothers, often within a day of birth, so that the milk meant to nourish them can be stolen and sold to humans. PETA’s investigations into dairy facilities have found workers electroshocking cows in the face, hitting them with poles and a cane, and abusing them in other ways. Once their bodies wear out from repeated pregnancies, they’re sent to slaughter.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat or abuse in any other way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post ‘Man Up, Cheese Addicts!’ Female Sisyphus to Challenge Male Football Fans Ahead of Super Bowl LVIII appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
February 7, 2024

‘Hell on Wheels’ Is Coming: Squawking Chicken Truck to Ruffle Feathers Outside South Florida Restaurants

Diners in Miami and Fort Lauderdale just might think twice about chowing down on fried chicken after they see—and hear—“Hell on Wheels,” PETA’s guerilla-marketing campaign featuring a life-size chicken transport truck covered with images of real chickens crammed into crates on their way to a slaughterhouse, complete with actual recorded sounds of the birds’ cries and a subliminal message every 10 seconds suggesting that people go vegan.

Where: Outside Shake Shack, 901 S. Miami Ave., Suite 109, Miami, and Hooters, 17 S. Atlantic Blvd., Suite 304, Fort Lauderdale

When: Friday, February 9, 12 noon (Miami), and Thursday, February 15, 12 noon (Fort Lauderdale)

Credit: PETA

The vexatious vehicle will debut in Miami outside Shake Shack on S. Miami Avenue before moving on to confront diners at other chicken-centric restaurants, including Wing Spot, Red Rooster Overtown, Chicken Kitchen, Natural Chicken Grill, Le Chick Miami, and PDQ. The following week in Fort Lauderdale, the truck will ruffle feathers outside Hooters on S. Atlantic Boulevard before moving on to Wings & More Restaurant, Chicken Kitchen, Chick’nCone, Chickeatah’, Pollo Tropical, Chick-fil-A, and other eateries.

“Behind every barbecued wing or bucket of fried chicken is a once-living, sensitive individual who was crammed onto a truck for a terrifying, miserable journey to their death,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s ‘Hell on Wheels’ truck is an appeal to anyone who eats chicken to remember that the meat industry is cruel to birds and the only kind meal is a vegan one.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness.

For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post ‘Hell on Wheels’ Is Coming: Squawking Chicken Truck to Ruffle Feathers Outside South Florida Restaurants appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
February 5, 2024

‘Man Up, Cheese Addicts!’ Female Sisyphus to Challenge Male Football Fans Ahead of Super Bowl LVIII – Phoenix

On Wednesday, ahead of Super Bowl Sunday—one of the biggest days of the year for cheese consumption—a loincloth-clad PETA member will be at Jefferson and First streets reenacting the myth of Sisyphus, who was condemned to roll a boulder up a mountain only to have it roll back down every time. She will push a giant vegan cheese wheel in downtown Phoenix—and push everyone, particularly resistant men, to go vegan before the big game.

Where: At the intersection of E. Jefferson and S. First streets, Phoenix

When: Wednesday, February 7, 12 noon

Credit: PETA

The display will call primarily on men, who are the most likely to whine that they “just can’t give up” dairy cheese, to “man up” and overcome their addiction. To prove how easy it is, everyone who shows up to witness the feat will be treated to complimentary creamy, dairy-free cheese wheels from Babybel, just one of the many tasty vegan cheeses now on the market.

“Men are notorious for being the most stubborn cheese addicts, and we’re challenging them to kick off Super Bowl Sunday by kicking this disgusting ‘mama’s boy’ habit for the sake of their arteries, animals, and the Earth,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA’s display will remind everyone that sacking cruel and unhealthy dairy cheese is not a Sisyphean task.”

PETA notes that real men are protectors, not bullies, and in the dairy industry, calves are torn away from their mothers, often within a day of birth, so that the milk meant to nourish them can be stolen and sold to humans. PETA’s investigations into dairy facilities have found workers electroshocking cows in the face, hitting them with poles and a cane, and abusing them in other ways. Once their bodies wear out from repeated pregnancies, they’re sent to slaughter.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat or abuse in any other way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness.

For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post ‘Man Up, Cheese Addicts!’ Female Sisyphus to Challenge Male Football Fans Ahead of Super Bowl LVIII – Phoenix appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
February 5, 2024

Pups and Pastries! PETA and Canine Companions to Host General Assembly Breakfast

On Wednesday morning, PETA will hold its annual General Assembly Breakfast at the Colgate Darden Memorial Garden in Richmond—complete with coffee and tea, delicious treats from favorite eateries Yorgo’s Bageldashery in Norfolk and My Vegan Sweet Tooth in Virginia Beach, and good company, courtesy of a pack of delightful dogs, including a few available for adoption. The outdoor event will give legislators a chance to dig in and chat with PETA about legislative priorities for this session.

Where: Colgate Darden Memorial Garden, 1198 Capitol St., Richmond (outside the General Assembly building)

When: Wednesday, February 7, 9:45-11:45 a.m.

Suni can’t wait to meet you at PETA’s breakfast!

“PETA’s General Assembly Breakfast will be a fun opportunity for policymakers to fetch a few treats and shake a few paws,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “We look forward to seeing you there.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness.

For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post Pups and Pastries! PETA and Canine Companions to Host General Assembly Breakfast appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
February 2, 2024

‘Man Up, Cheese Addicts!’ Female Sisyphus to Challenge Male Football Fans Ahead of Super Bowl LVIII

On Tuesday, ahead of Super Bowl Sunday—one of the biggest days of the year for cheese consumption—a loincloth-clad PETA member will be on Fourth Avenue reenacting the myth of Sisyphus, who was condemned to roll a boulder up a mountain only to have it roll back down every time. She will push a giant vegan cheese wheel in downtown Tucson—and push everyone, particularly resistant men, to go vegan before the big game.

Where: At the intersection of N. Fourth Avenue and E. Sixth Street, Tucson

When: Tuesday, February 6, 12 noon

Credit: PETA

The display will call primarily on men, who are the most likely to whine that they “just can’t give up” dairy cheese—to “man up” and overcome their addiction. To prove how easy this is, everyone who shows up to witness the feat will be treated to complimentary creamy, dairy-free cheese wheels from Babybel, just one of the many tasty vegan cheeses now on the market.

“Men are notorious for being the most stubborn cheese addicts, and we’re challenging them to kick off Super Bowl Sunday by kicking this disgusting ‘mama’s boy’ habit for the sake of their arteries, the animals, and the Earth,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA’s display will remind everyone that sacking cruel and unhealthy dairy cheese is not a Sisyphean task.”

PETA notes that real men are protectors, not bullies, and in the dairy industry, calves are torn away from their mothers, often within a day of birth, so that the milk meant to nourish them can be stolen and sold to humans. PETA’s investigations into dairy facilities have found workers electroshocking cows in the face, hitting them with poles and a cane, and abusing them in other ways. Once their bodies wear out from repeated pregnancies, they’re sent to slaughter.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat or abuse in any other way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness.

For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post ‘Man Up, Cheese Addicts!’ Female Sisyphus to Challenge Male Football Fans Ahead of Super Bowl LVIII appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
January 31, 2024

PETA Exhibit Exposing History of Animal Tests Coming to University of Alabama at Birmingham

Beginning on February 5, PETA will bring its eye-opening exhibit “Without Consent” to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) on one of the final stops of its national tour. The traveling exhibit explores the troubled history of experiments on animals and features almost 200 stories about animals used in these tests—including the seminal Silver Spring monkeys case, which launched PETA and led to the nation’s first arrest and criminal conviction of an animal experimenter for cruelty to animals. That experimenter, Edward Taub, has been at UAB since 1986—and while he may not be tormenting monkeys anymore, horrors continue at the university, home to a notorious, curiosity-driven xenotransplantation laboratory, in which experimenters cut organs out of animals and implant them in other species.

When: February 5 to 9, 12 noon to 4 p.m.

Where: Five Points South, at the intersection of 20^th Street S. and 11^th Avenue S., Birmingham

Credit: PETA

Modeled after the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, “Without Consent” will be on display locally for five days. It features 24 panels with descriptions and photographs of nearly 200 experiments on animals conducted at U.S. institutions from the 1920s through the present. Watch the trailer here. An interactive virtual exhibit is also available here.

“‘Without Consent’ tells the true stories of animals harmed and killed in experiments that they did not and could not consent to,” says PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo. “Humans are only one animal species among many. Having the power to exploit the others does not give us the right to do so.”

UAB has amassed an extensive rap sheet of federal animal welfare violations for offenses including carving into monkeys’ skulls without first seeking alternative methods, as required by law; squirting Woolite laundry detergent on a baboon’s open, hemorrhaging surgical wound; employing unqualified staff; and providing suffering animals with inadequate veterinary care. Experimenters at UAB have also forced ferrets to inhale cigarette smoke for months on end; infected hamsters with a virus that caused them to suffer from a variety of symptoms, including weight loss, lethargy, and diarrhea, before killing and dissecting them; and injected a substance deep into the spinal muscles of half a dozen cats, causing agonizing pain and hypersensitivity—without providing any pain relief.

“Without Consent” also makes the point that vulnerable humans—including orphans in tuberculosis and psychological experiments, immigrant women in gynecological surgeries, soldiers in LSD and poison gas tests, and impoverished Black men in syphilis experiments—were exploited in experiments. Just as society now understands that these experiments were wrong, “Without Consent” shows that we need to let a similar moral awakening guide our conduct today by extending consideration to other nonconsenting sentient beings.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post PETA Exhibit Exposing History of Animal Tests Coming to University of Alabama at Birmingham appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
January 31, 2024

‘Skinned Alive’: Winter Park to Host Gruesome Anti-Leather Display, Courtesy of PETA

On Friday, passersby on Park Avenue will be in for a stomach-churning sight as a PETA supporter has their “skin” torn off—with the help of special-effects makeup—to call attention to the suffering of more than a billion cows and other animals killed every year by the leather industry and to urge consumers to steer clear of materials made from animals’ skin.

When: Friday, February 2, 12 noon

Where: At the intersection of S. Park and E. New England avenues, Winter Park

“Every bit of leather on store shelves came from a once living, feeling being whose skin was ripped from their body, possibly while they were still alive,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is urging everyone to see the suffering stitched into leather and opt for cruelty-free vegan clothing instead.”

At slaughterhouses, cows killed for leather may be skinned and dismembered while still conscious—after they’ve endured castration, branding, and tail-docking, all without painkillers. In addition to the horrific cruelty it inflicts on animals, the leather industry also contributes to climate change, land devastation, pollution, and water contamination. Sustainable vegan leather made from apples, cork, corn, grapes, mushrooms, paper, pineapples, soy, or tea mimics the properties of leather without the cruelty to animals or environmental devastation.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness.

For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post ‘Skinned Alive’: Winter Park to Host Gruesome Anti-Leather Display, Courtesy of PETA appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
January 31, 2024

‘Hell on Wheels’ Is Coming: Squawking Chicken Truck to Ruffle Feathers Outside Key West Eateries

Key West diners just might think twice about chowing down on fried chicken after they see—and hear—“Hell on Wheels,” PETA’s guerilla-marketing campaign featuring a life-size chicken transport truck covered with images of real chickens crammed into crates on their way to a slaughterhouse, complete with actual recorded sounds of the birds’ cries and a subliminal message every 10 seconds suggesting that people go vegan. The vexatious vehicle will debut around Duval and Eaton streets, home to restaurants including The Flaming Buoy Filet Co. and The Bull & Whistle Bar, before moving on to confront diners at Wing Masters, Sarabeth’s, Smoked BBQ, Off the Hook Bar & Grill, and Rams Head Southernmost.

Where: Duval and Eaton streets, Key West

When: Friday, February 2, 12 noon

Credit: PETA

“Behind every barbecued wing or bucket of fried chicken is a once-living, sensitive individual who was crammed onto a truck for a terrifying, miserable journey to their death,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s ‘Hell on Wheels’ truck is an appeal to anyone who eats chicken to remember that the meat industry is cruel to birds and the only kind meal is a vegan one.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness.

For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post ‘Hell on Wheels’ Is Coming: Squawking Chicken Truck to Ruffle Feathers Outside Key West Eateries appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
January 31, 2024

PETA U.K. statement regarding H&M’s new CEO

As H&M has announced the appointment of its new CEO Daniel Ervér, we would like to offer you the following statement, attributed to PETA U.K. Vice President of Corporate Projects Yvonne Taylor:

If H&M hopes to recover from declining sales following the departure of CEO Helena Helmersson, it must be responsive to its customers and stem the rising tide of discontent resulting from its sale of cruelly obtained animal-derived materials such as feathers. Savvy shoppers see misleading welfare standards for what they are: humane washing. We urge Daniel Ervér to make his mark as CEO by committing to an animal-friendly – and business-savvy – down-free policy.

Credit: PETA

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness.

For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post PETA U.K. statement regarding H&M’s new CEO appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
January 26, 2024

Baby Blitz! PETA’s Inflatable Infants to Give Away Vegan Cheese at Detroit Lions Watch Party

“Would you like some vegan cheese with that victory dance?” Attendees of the Detroit Lions watch party at Ford Field on Sunday will get a tasty treat from a pair of giant bouncy “babies,” who’ll hand out free Babybel Plant-Based cheese snacks, reminding people that cow’s milk is for calves and that vegan nosh is a winning play for everyone.

When: Sunday, January 28, 4–6 p.m.

Where: Outside the entrance to Ford Field, 2000 Brush St. (at the intersection with E. Adams Avenue), Detroit

Credit: PETA

“Cows love their calves, and cow’s milk is meant for baby cows, not for humans,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA encourages everyone to ditch dairy and opt for game day snacks with vegan cheese instead.”

In the dairy industry, calves are torn away from their mothers within a day of birth so that the milk meant for them can be stolen and sold to humans as cheese, yogurt, and other “products.” PETA’s investigations into dairy facilities have found workers electroshocking cows in the face, hitting them with poles and a cane, and abusing them in other ways. Once their bodies wear out from repeated pregnancies, they’re sent to slaughter.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness.

For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post Baby Blitz! PETA’s Inflatable Infants to Give Away Vegan Cheese at Detroit Lions Watch Party appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
January 25, 2024

Breaking: Animal Allies Crash Pope’s Evening Prayer, Beg Him to Condemn Bullfights

This evening, PETA U.K. activists wearing T-shirts reading “Stop Blessing Corridas” disrupted a prayer service at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls attended by Pope Francis, pleading with His Holiness to cut the Catholic Church’s ties with bullfighting and condemn the despicable blood sport.

Footage of the action is available here.

“The Bible asks us to show mercy to all of God’s creations, yet bulls are being tormented, stabbed, and slaughtered in front of jeering crowds by those blessed by Catholic priests,” says PETA Vice President for the UK and Europe Mimi Bekhechi. “PETA is calling on Pope Francis to condemn the vile bullfighting industry and cut the church’s ties with these bloody, merciless spectacles.”

Every year, tens of thousands of bulls are tormented and slaughtered in bullfighting festivals around the world, many of which are held in honor of Catholic saints. During these events, men on horses drive lances into a bull’s back and neck before others plunge banderillas into his back, inflicting acute pain whenever he turns his head and impairing his range of motion. Eventually, when the bull becomes weak from blood loss, a matador appears and attempts to kill the bull by plunging a sword into his lungs or, if that fails, cutting his spinal cord with a knife. The bull may be paralyzed but still conscious as the matador cuts off his ears or tail as a trophy and his body is dragged from the arena.

Pope Francis wrote in his encyclical Laudato Si’ that “[e]very act of cruelty towards any creature is ‘contrary to human dignity,’” and as far back as the 16^th century, Pope Pius V—who has since been canonized—banned bullfighting, which he described as “cruel and base spectacles of the devil and not of man” and contrary to “Christian piety and charity.” The ban forbids priests and other clergy from attending bullfights and barred the events from taking place on religious holidays. However, the Church is failing to enforce the ban, and Catholic priests often officiate at religious ceremonies in bullrings and minister to bullfighters in arena chapels. Some even attack bulls in arenas while dressed in a cassock.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post Breaking: Animal Allies Crash Pope’s Evening Prayer, Beg Him to Condemn Bullfights appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
January 25, 2024

‘Hell on Wheels’ Is Coming: Squawking Chicken Truck to Ruffle Feathers Outside Naples Restaurants

Local diners just might think twice about chowing down on fried chicken after they see—and hear—“Hell on Wheels,” PETA’s guerilla-marketing campaign featuring a life-size chicken transport truck covered with images of real chickens crammed into crates on their way to a slaughterhouse, complete with actual recorded sounds of the birds’ cries and a subliminal message every 10 seconds suggesting that people go vegan.

When: Saturday, January 27, 12 noon

Where: Outside Chops City Grill, 837 Fifth Ave. S. (between Eighth and Ninth streets), Naples

The vexatious vehicle will debut outside Chops City Grill in Old Naples before moving on to confront diners at other chicken-centric restaurants, including Patinella’s Chicken Grill, The Rooster Food + Drink, Black Eyed Pig BBQ, MISSION BBQ, Chick-fil-A, and Off the Bone BBQ + Ribhouse.

“Behind every barbecued wing or bucket of fried chicken is a once-living, sensitive individual who was crammed onto a truck for a terrifying, miserable journey to their death,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s ‘Hell on Wheels’ truck is an appeal to anyone who eats chicken to remember that the meat industry is cruel to birds and the only kind meal is a vegan one.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”— points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness.

For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post ‘Hell on Wheels’ Is Coming: Squawking Chicken Truck to Ruffle Feathers Outside Naples Restaurants appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
January 24, 2024

Animal Allies to Protest at OHSU Board Meeting in Defense of Pigs

Wearing pig masks and “bloody” hospital gowns and holding signs that read, “Use Simulators, Not Pigs,” PETA supporters will rally inside Oregon Health & Science University’s (OHSU) board of directors meeting tomorrow, urging the school to end its invasive procedures on live pigs in its obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) physician residency training program.

When: Thursday, January 25, 9:30 a.m.

Where: Robertson Life Sciences Building, Room 3A001, 3^rd Fl., 2730 S. Moody Ave., Portland

PETA supporters urge OHSU’s board of directors to end pig mutilations during a previous protest. Credit: PETA

“Smart and sensitive pigs are cut open and mutilated while they’re still alive for these cruel and pointless OB/GYN training drills at OHSU,” says PETA Vice President Shalin Gala. “PETA is calling on OHSU to adopt superior, non-animal technology—as other OB/GYN residency training programs have already done—that benefits physicians and patients without harming pigs.”

Records obtained by PETA show that at least 64 OB/GYN residents at OHSU have cut into up to 48 live female pigs, dissected their organs, and performed other invasive surgeries on them in attempts to learn human medicine. All the animals were later killed.

Along with taking other actions, PETA sent a letter to Dr. Amy Stenson, director of the university’s OB/GYN residency program, and wrote to Dr. Aaron Caughey, the school’s OB/GYN department chair, noting that dozens of similar programs in the U.S. use animal-free training methods, such as realistic human-patient simulators, advanced virtual reality systems, and interactive computer models.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview.

For more information, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post Animal Allies to Protest at OHSU Board Meeting in Defense of Pigs appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
January 23, 2024

‘Monkeys’ Tormented by Flashing Lights to Swarm Harvard Campus Over Cruel Experiments

In a dizzying display, PETA supporters wearing monkey masks will descend on Harvard University’s campus tomorrow as “experimenters” in lab coats torment them with strobe lights. The bizarre scene is meant to mimic Harvard experimenter Margaret Livingstone’s latest cruel test, in which she permanently separates baby monkeys from their mothers and forces them to wear helmets with shuttered goggles that rapidly open and close, creating a strobe-light effect. The infants are made to wear the devices for a year and a half, effectively forcing them to live in perpetual and disorienting strobe lighting all day long for 18 months.

When: Wednesday, January 24, 12 noon

Where: Johnston Gate (at the intersection of Peabody Street and Massachusetts Avenue), Harvard University, Cambridge

Infant monkeys in Livingstone’s laboratory are torn away from their mothers and raised without seeing any faces—human or monkey—for a full year. Credit: Harvard University Ph.D. Program in Neuroscience

“Livingstone’s pointless experiments have never produced anything other than pain and anguish for the monkeys stolen from their mothers and subjected to her twisted tests,” says PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo. “PETA is urging Harvard to shut down Livingstone’s house of horrors.”

Livingstone’s experiments—which have been widely panned as unethical in the scientific community—have also included ripping baby monkeys away from their mothers and sewing their eyes shut for an entire year. In another experiment, infant monkeys are reared by humans wearing welding masks so they never see a monkey or human face. She also surgically implants electrodes in monkeys’ brains to record how their deprived brain cells respond to visual stimuli. After years of torment, Livingstone kills many of them and dissects their brains. She has conducted these types of curiosity-driven experiments for 40 years without producing a single treatment or cure for humans.

In addition to holding tomorrow’s demonstration, PETA is urging former President Barack Obama to condemn these twisted experiments that have received more than $2 million in taxpayer funds from the National Institutes of Health’s BRAIN Initiative, which was launched during the Obama administration.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness.

For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post ‘Monkeys’ Tormented by Flashing Lights to Swarm Harvard Campus Over Cruel Experiments appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
January 22, 2024

PETA to Warn County Commissioners About Dangers of Giant Monkey Warehouse

A PETA representative will join local residents Tuesday at the Decatur County Board of Commissioners meeting to voice concerns about the many risks to the region posed by a plan to build the largest monkey warehouse in the U.S. The event comes a week after concerned residents packed a Bainbridge City Council meeting to oppose the plan. Many local residents are demanding that state and local officials stop it.

When: Tuesday, January 23, 7 p.m.

Where: Decatur County Administrative Office, 203 W. Broughton St., Bainbridge

“County officials have been misled about the dangers that this facility represents,” says PETA Manager of Primate Experimentation Campaigns Amy Meyer, who will attend the meeting. “Monkeys aren’t required for pharmaceutical testing, the demand for them is dropping, the jobs would be risky, and the monkeys would suffer terribly.”

Land cleared for the proposed facility. Credit: PETA

The planned facility would be capable of holding 30,000 monkeys—twice the human population of Bainbridge—who would be trucked in, warehoused, and trucked out to laboratories to be poisoned, mutilated, and killed. Infectious diseases are common in monkeys imported for experimentation, and at full capacity, the facility would produce more than enough wastewater to nearly fill an Olympic-size pool every day. Yet city and county officials have welcomed the proposed facility, agreeing to nearly $60 million in handouts—including a 20-year tax abatement scheme and $2 million in public land, located less than half a mile from the Flint River, which provides farmers with water for crop irrigation and ultimately flows into the Gulf of Mexico.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness.

For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post PETA to Warn County Commissioners About Dangers of Giant Monkey Warehouse appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
January 18, 2024

‘Hell on Wheels’ Is Coming: Squawking Chicken Truck to Ruffle Feathers Outside Fort Myers and Cape Coral Restaurants

Diners in Fort Myers and Cape Coral just might think twice about chowing down on fried chicken after they see—and hear—“Hell on Wheels,” PETA’s guerilla-marketing campaign featuring a life-size chicken transport truck covered with images of real chickens crammed into crates on their way to a slaughterhouse, complete with actual recorded sounds of the birds’ cries and a subliminal message every 10 seconds suggesting that people go vegan.

When: Saturday, January 20, 12 noon (Fort Myers), and Thursday, January 25, 12 noon (Cape Coral)

Where: Outside Ford’s Garage, 2207 First St., Fort Myers, and McDonald’s, 1222 Cape Coral Pkwy. E., Cape Coral

The vexatious vehicle will debut outside Ford’s Garage on First Street in Fort Myers before moving on to confront diners at Wings and Rings, Pollo Tropical, Zaxby’s, PDQ, Buckett’s Wings & More, and Patinella’s Chicken Grill. The following week in Cape Coral, the truck will ruffle feathers at McDonald’s on Cape Coral Parkway E. before moving on to Wendy’s, Hurricane Grill & Wings, Buffalo Wild Wings, Popeyes, Chick-fil-A, Wingnuts, and other restaurants.

“Behind every barbecued wing or bucket of fried chicken is a once-living, sensitive individual who was crammed onto a truck for a terrifying, miserable journey to their death,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s ‘Hell on Wheels’ truck is an appeal to anyone who eats chicken to remember that the meat industry is cruel to birds and the only kind meal is a vegan one.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”— points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness.

For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post ‘Hell on Wheels’ Is Coming: Squawking Chicken Truck to Ruffle Feathers Outside Fort Myers and Cape Coral Restaurants appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
January 17, 2024

Happening Now: PETA ‘Monkeys’ Dump Coconuts at Local Whole Foods Over Ties to Forced Labor

A whole lot of monkey business is going on at Whole Foods’ grand opening at The Shops at Evergreen Walk as PETA supporters draped in chains and wearing monkey masks and prisoner garb dump humanely picked coconuts outside the store to condemn the chain’s continued sale of Thai coconut milk, even though it knows that Thailand’s coconut industry is driven by the forced labor of endangered pig-tailed macaques.

Coconuts are dumped outside a Whole Foods store. Credit: PETA

“Whole Foods’ continued sale of products implicated in the abuse of an endangered species is particularly appalling coming from a company that claims to care about animal welfare,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on Whole Foods to live up to its values and sell coconut milk only from countries where monkey labor isn’t used, including India, Indonesia, and the Philippines.”

Many monkeys used in Thailand’s coconut-picking industry are illegally snatched from their natural habitat as babies, fitted with rigid metal collars, chained, whipped, and forced to climb trees to pick heavy coconuts. Their canine teeth are sometimes pulled out in order to leave them defenseless. Because the industry and the Thai government lie about their systemic reliance on forced monkey labor, it’s impossible to guarantee that any coconut milk from Thailand is free of it. Multiple companies that produce coconut milk sold at Whole Foods were named by industry workers in a PETA Asia investigation as having used coconuts obtained by monkey labor. HelloFresh, Purple Carrot, and Performance Food Group stopped sourcing coconut milk from Thailand following PETA Asia’s exposé.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post Happening Now: PETA ‘Monkeys’ Dump Coconuts at Local Whole Foods Over Ties to Forced Labor appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
January 17, 2024

‘Eat Me!’ Chris P. Carrot Says Presidential Candidates Must Go Vegan to Combat Climate Catastrophe and More in New Hampshire

PETA’s bipartisan mascot “Chris P. Carrot” is on the campaign trail in New Hampshire, where he’ll give attendees at the first primaries of the 2024 election season some food for thought as he urges presidential hopefuls and voters to “EAT ME!” and go vegan for three good reasons: to stop harming animals, to bolster human health, and to protect the environment. Chris P. Carrot will kick off his lifesaving campaign that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions pumped out by the meat, egg, and dairy industries on Friday evening at the Candidate Q&A with Rep. Dean Phillips at Brothers Cortado in Concord.

Left: Chris P. Carrot at the Asa Hutchinson rally in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday. Right: Chris P. Carrot at the Nikki Haley rally in Adel, Iowa, on Sunday. Credit: PETA

“Animal agriculture is a killer, spewing methane that’s destroying the planet, hardening humans’ arteries with cholesterol, and sending billions of animals to their deaths,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s Chris P. Carrot is urging candidates and voters to go vegan before it’s too late—and we have free downloadable vegan starter kits for all.”

According to the United Nations, about a third of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are linked to food production, and the largest percentage of these emissions come from the meat and dairy industries. PETA notes that growing water-intensive crops just to feed animals raised for food consumes more than half the water used in the U.S. and that up to 80% of deforestation in the Amazon is linked to meat production, either for grazing or for growing food for cows. Vegan foods—such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, peas, nuts, and lentils—require less energy, land, and water.

Chris P. Carrot will be traveling to candidates’ events around New Hampshire throughout the weekend.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post ‘Eat Me!’ Chris P. Carrot Says Presidential Candidates Must Go Vegan to Combat Climate Catastrophe and More in New Hampshire appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
January 16, 2024

Bring PETA’s Grassroots Tours of VR Programs to Your Area: ‘I, Orca,’ ‘I, Chicken,’ ‘I, Calf’
On grassroots tours that leverage three of PETA’s virtual reality (VR) programs—“I, Orca,” “I, Chicken,” and “I, Calf”—animal advocates help the public see the world through another species’ eyes. The best part? For “I, Orca” and “I, Chicken,” anyone with access to an Android phone and Google Cardboard can bring these powerful experiences to their community. For “I, Calf,” a VR headset like a Meta Quest 2 or 3 is required.

The ‘I, Orca,’ ‘I, Chicken,’ and ‘I, Calf’ Experiences

Every animal is someone, and these VR systems allow us to observe the world from other animals’ perspectives.

‘I, Orca’

With “I, Orca,” participants can see, hear, and—most importantly—experience feelings like those of orcas subjected to SeaWorld’s cruelty. This empathy project immerses participants in a world where they can swim freely in the ocean with their orca family. They also meet an orca mother—voiced by either Nurse Jackie star Edie Falco or Selena star Constance Marie—who still mourns the baby who was taken from her decades ago and sent to SeaWorld, the marine abusement park that condemned him to a miserable life in tiny tanks.

Although “I, Orca” is a fictional undersea experience, the story it tells is inspired by real events. All orcas now living in captivity were either torn away from their natural ocean homes and families or born into an inescapable marine-animal prison.

PETA believes that everyone who experiences “I, Orca” will learn that SeaWorld inflicts a lifetime of suffering on animals and will, as a result, choose only animal-friendly entertainment.

‘I, Chicken’

This experience places participants in a world where they can flap their wings, communicate with other chickens, take dust baths, and engage in other natural chicken behavior. But as they soon learn, life for each of the 26 million chickens slaughtered every day is hell.

Chickens are inquisitive animals with distinct personalities, keen communication skills, and complex social structures. But on farms, they’re crammed by the tens of thousands into filthy sheds and are bred to grow such unnaturally large upper bodies that their legs often become crippled under their own weight. At the slaughterhouse, their throats are cut and millions of conscious birds are scalded to death in defeathering tanks.

The goal of “I, Chicken” is to help participants see these fellow animals as individuals with interests, wants, and needs, rather than as breasts, wings, and legs.

© iStock.com/xalanx

‘I, Calf’

In this experience, participants discover what it’s like to be a cow born on a dairy farm. Based on a true story, viewers take on the role of a young calf whose mother secretly gave birth to twins and, remembering that farmers had taken her previous babies away, hid one of the newborns to protect him.

Does this make the dairy industry sound vicious and heartless? That’s because it is.

Cows are intelligent and have good memories. They’re socially complex, develop friendships over time, and sometimes hold grudges against other cows who treat them badly. They mourn the deaths of and even separation from those they love, sometimes shedding tears over their loss.

The bond between mother and calf is particularly strong, and there are countless reports of mother cows who continue to call and search frantically for their babies after workers have taken them away and sold them to other farms, including to be used for veal.

© iStock.com/ emholk-1

Grassroots Tours: Use ‘I, Orca,’ ‘I, Chicken,’ and ‘I, Calf’ in Your Advocacy

Are you committed to informing your community about what animals used for food and entertainment are forced to endure? With your help, we can share these experiences around the world at farmers markets, street fairs, local VegFests—the possibilities are endless! Make sure your Android phone fits with our programs by testing it out first:
- The “I, Orca” and “I, Chicken” systems are Android app files that should work on any standard-size Android OS phone.
- Use Google Cardboard headsets for “I, Orca” and “I, Chicken.”
- The “I, Calf” video is an mp4 file that can be played on any current-generation VR headset, such as a Meta Quest 2 or 3.
- Make sure you have headphones that work with each program.
Everyone who participates in these interactive experiences gains a better likelihood of feeling empathy for orcas, chickens, and cows.

E-mail ActionTeam@peta.org if you have any questions, and we’ll do what we can to make this a seamless, meaningful addition to your advocacy for our fellow animals.

Download and Take Action With VR

Click below to download each VR experience of these grassroots tours:

Download ‘I, Orca’—English Version

Download ‘I, Orca’—Spanish Version

Download ‘I, Chicken’

Download ‘I, Calf’
The post Bring PETA’s Grassroots Tours of VR Programs to Your Area: ‘I, Orca,’ ‘I, Chicken,’ ‘I, Calf’ appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
January 16, 2024

Invasive, Deadly Tests at Wake Forest U. Prompt PETA Exhibit on Dark History of Animal Experiments

Starting Monday during the final run of its tour, PETA will bring its eye-opening exhibit “Without Consent,” which explores the troubled history of experiments on animals, to Wake Forest University, where animals have suffered acutely in painful, pointless tests. These animals include pigs who were killed after deep, square-shaped flaps were cut into their skin; monkeys who were dosed with high levels of drugs and alcohol so experimenters could tally the number of times the animals’ yawned; and ferrets who were repeatedly infected with bacteria that caused significant inflammation and structural damage to their lungs.

When: Monday, January 22, 12 noon

Where: Baily Park 450 N. Patterson Ave.

Visitors view PETA’s “Without Consent” exhibit. Photo: PETA

Modeled after the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, “Without Consent” will be on display locally for five days. It features 28 panels with descriptions and photographs of nearly 200 animal experiments conducted at U.S. institutions from the 1920s to the present. Watch the trailer here. An interactive virtual exhibit is also available here.

“‘Without Consent’ tells the true stories of animals harmed and killed in experiments that they did not and could not consent to,” says PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo. “PETA is calling on Wake Forest and all other institutions to embrace modern, animal-free research, because having the power to exploit other species does not give us the right to do so.”

Wake Forest University has been cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for numerous violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act, including for forcing monkeys to inhale excessive carbon dioxide, which could lead to neurological problems, and for denying a monkey adequate pain relief after an invasive surgery. One experimenter at the university worked with colleagues in China, who blasted monkeys with water cannons, bombarded them with jackhammer-like sounds, blinded them with strobe lights, and sent electric shocks through their feet—all purportedly to study mental illness in humans.

“Without Consent” also points out that vulnerable humans—including orphans in tuberculosis and psychological experiments, immigrant women in gynecological surgeries, soldiers in LSD and poison gas tests, and impoverished Black men in syphilis experiments—were exploited in experiments. Just as society now understands that these experiments were wrong, “Without Consent” shows that we need to let a similar moral awakening guide our conduct today by extending consideration to the 110 million animals killed every year in U.S. laboratories. These animals are individuals who feel pain and fear, yet they’re robbed of their babies, force-fed chemicals, and sickened with diseases, among other atrocities.

Following its debut in 2021, “Without Consent” has traveled to 29 cities and has shared information about the horrors of experimentation with nearly 15,000 visitors. As neuroscientist and Jeopardy! host Mayim Bialik describes it, “‘Without Consent,’ PETA’s new traveling exhibit, is a must-see. … Check it out in a city near you and do your part to help create a better future for all!”

After viewing “Without Consent,” more than 2,500 visitors were moved to contact their legislators, urging them to oppose animal testing and endorse the Research Modernization Deal, which offers a strategy for replacing scientifically useless tests on animals with effective human-relevant research methods.

“Without Consent” will be open to the public at Baily Park, 450 N. Patterson Ave., from 12 noon to 4 p.m., January 22 to 26.

For more information on PETA’s investigative newsgathering and reporting, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post Invasive, Deadly Tests at Wake Forest U. Prompt PETA Exhibit on Dark History of Animal Experiments appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
January 16, 2024

‘Hell on Wheels’ Is Coming: Squawking Chicken Truck to Ruffle Feathers Outside Sarasota Restaurants

Sarasota diners just might think twice about chowing down on fried chicken after they see—and hear—“Hell on Wheels,” PETA’s guerilla-marketing campaign featuring a life-size chicken transport truck covered with images of real chickens crammed into crates on their way to a slaughterhouse, complete with actual recorded sounds of the birds’ cries and a subliminal message every 10 seconds suggesting that people go vegan. The vexatious vehicle will debut outside Brick’s Smoked Meats on State Street before moving on to confront diners at Knick’s Tavern & Grill, Hot Chickn Kitchn, Popeyes, Fork & Hen SRQ, PDQ, Slim Chickens, Basil’s Flame Broiled Chicken & Ribs, and Chick-fil-A.

When: Thursday, January 18, 12 noon

Where: Outside Brick’s Smoked Meats, 1528 State St., Sarasota

“Behind every barbecued wing or bucket of fried chicken is a once-living, sensitive individual who was crammed onto a truck for a terrifying, miserable journey to their death,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s ‘Hell on Wheels’ truck is an appeal to anyone who eats chicken to remember that the meat industry is cruel to birds and the only kind meal is a vegan one.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness.

For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post ‘Hell on Wheels’ Is Coming: Squawking Chicken Truck to Ruffle Feathers Outside Sarasota Restaurants appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
January 10, 2024

‘Eat Me!’ Chris P. Carrot Says Presidential Candidates Must Go Vegan to Combat Climate Catastrophe and More

PETA’s bipartisan mascot “Chris P. Carrot” is on the campaign trail in Iowa, where he’ll give attendees at the first caucus of the 2024 primary season some food for thought as he urges presidential hopefuls and voters to “EAT ME!” and go vegan for three good reasons: to stop harming animals, to bolster human health, and to protect the environment. Chris P. Carrot will kick off his lifesaving campaign that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions pumped out by the meat, egg, and dairy industries on Friday morning at the Northside Conservatives Meeting with Gov. Kim Reynolds and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at The District Venue in Ankeny.

Chris P. Carrot at prior events. Credit: PETA

“Animal agriculture is a killer, spewing methane that’s destroying the planet, hardening humans’ arteries with cholesterol, and sending billions of animals to their deaths,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s Chris P. Carrot is urging candidates and voters to go vegan before it’s too late—and we have free downloadable vegan starter kits for all.”

According to the United Nations, about a third of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are linked to food production, and the largest percentage of these emissions come from the meat and dairy industries. PETA notes that growing water-intensive crops just to feed animals raised for food consumes more than half the water used in the U.S. and that up to 80% of deforestation in the Amazon is linked to meat production, either for grazing or for growing food for cattle. Vegan foods—such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, peas, nuts, and lentils—require less energy, land, and water.

Chris P. Carrot will be traveling to candidates’ events in Iowa throughout the weekend.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat” and which opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview—offers free vegan starter kits to help anyone make the switch. For more information on PETA’s investigative newsgathering and reporting, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post ‘Eat Me!’ Chris P. Carrot Says Presidential Candidates Must Go Vegan to Combat Climate Catastrophe and More appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
January 10, 2024

‘Close the Seaquarium’: Dolphin Defenders to Descend on Miami Mayor’s Office

Angry about continued inaction and armed with signs reading, “R.I.P., Sundance, Miami Seaquarium’s Latest Dolphin Death,” PETA supporters will converge outside the office of Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava on Friday, urging her to shut down the doomed Miami Seaquarium, which continues to rack up citations for violating federal animal welfare laws at an alarming rate. PETA points out that at least 100 dolphins have died at the Seaquarium—including Sundance, who died just two weeks ago.

When: Friday, January 12, 12 noon

Where: Outside the Miami-Dade County Mayor’s Office, Stephen P. Clark Government Center, 111 N.W. First St., Miami

Credit: PETA

“How many animals must continue to suffer and die at the Miami Seaquarium before you take action to close this seedy and incompetent abusement park?” asks PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “Mayor Levine Cava and the county have blood on their hands by failing to use their authority to help these desperate animals, who must be moved to sanctuaries where they can get the care they urgently need.”

A just-published U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection report reveals animals languishing without appropriate veterinary care in crumbling enclosures. The citations resulted from violations including failing to provide adequate care for several dolphins who showed signs of gastric distress and a manatee who was covered in a “thick layer” of algae, large lesions, and patchy white discolorations; the lack of an adequate enrichment plan for macaws and a parrot, all of whom had plucked out their feathers due to apparent psychological distress; and numerous facilities in disrepair.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview.

For more information, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post ‘Close the Seaquarium’: Dolphin Defenders to Descend on Miami Mayor’s Office appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
January 10, 2024

Cruelly Obtained Coconut Milk at Canadian Whole Foods Stores? PETA Speaks Up

Does forcing monkeys into a lifetime of labor chained by the neck in Thailand to collect coconuts sound kind to you? Whole Foods apparently has no problem with it. On November 9, PETA’s animal advocates called out a Vancouver Whole Foods store for selling cruelly obtained coconut milk. The giant grocery chain seems fine with Thai workers perpetuating monkey labor by stealing babies from their forest homes, chaining and dangling them by the neck, and forcing them to pick coconuts. PETA won’t stand for it.

Calling Out Whole Foods for Supporting Monkey Labor

PETA’s bold action outside a Whole Foods store in Vancouver caught consumers’ attention. Learning about coconut milk obtained by Thailand’s forced monkey labor made multiple shoppers pause. Advocates dressed as chained macaques brought wheelbarrows of ethically sourced coconuts to drop in front of the store, making a striking statement.

PETA’s persistent campaign exposes Whole Foods’ support of speciesist practices. Submitting shareholder resolutions, posting provocative ads, and even having longtime PETA supporter and fearless vegan singer Morrissey tell the company to kick cruel Thai coconut milk to the curb, we’ve worked relentlessly to end forced monkey labor.

Thailand’s Coconut Industry

PETA Asia has conducted three investigations into Thailand’s coconut industry. Every time, investigators found monkeys chained for life, trained through fear of punishment, forced to pick coconuts, and unable to do anything that’s natural and important to them. Several companies that own coconut milk brands sold by Whole Foods were named by industry workers as using coconuts obtained through monkey labor.

In nature, macaques are free to forage, explore, and socialize with friends and family. In Thailand’s coconut-picking industry, endangered pig-tailed macaques are often illegally snatched from their forest homes as babies. It’s common for handlers to fit them with rigid metal collars, use chains and leashes to choke and control them, and even pull their canine teeth out so that they can’t defend themselves.

Take Action: Help End Monkey Labor in Thailand

Never buy cans of coconut milk that read, “Product of Thailand.” Tell Whole Foods to stop supporting this cruel industry by refusing to sell coconut milk from that country.

Urge Whole Foods to Ditch Thai Coconut Milk

The post Cruelly Obtained Coconut Milk at Canadian Whole Foods Stores? PETA Speaks Up appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
January 9, 2024

PETA Supporters to Defend Monkeys at UW Board Meeting

Wearing giant macaque monkey masks and holding signs that read, “UW: Stop Experimenting on Endangered Monkeys!” PETA supporters will rally inside the University of Washington Board of Regents meeting on Thursday, urging the school to close the failing Washington National Primate Research Center (WaNPRC), where thousands of monkeys have been tormented and killed in painful experiments that have failed to improve human health.

When: Thursday, January 11, 12 noon

Where: University of Washington, Anthony’s Forum, Dempsey Hall, 4273 E. Stevens Way N.E., Seattle

“UW is racing to the bottom of the science world by clinging to archaic experiments on endangered monkeys rather than embracing modern research methods,” says PETA primate scientist Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel. “The Board of Regents has an obligation to lead UW and should demand the closure of the primate center immediately.”

The WaNPRC is currently under investigation by the Washington State Department of Health for the death of monkey during a botched procedure. UW has violated federal animal welfare laws and regulations dozens of times for incidents that include the strangulation death of a monkey. Veterinary errors have caused the deaths of monkeys at the WaNPRC, and dangerous diseases transmissible to humans have infected monkeys at the university’s breeding facility in Arizona. UW was forced to pay more than $540,000 for trying to keep public records about the disasters inside the WaNPRC’s walls hidden.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview.

For more information, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post PETA Supporters to Defend Monkeys at UW Board Meeting appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
January 9, 2024

‘Hell on Wheels’ Is Coming: Squawking Chicken Truck to Ruffle Feathers Outside Tampa Bay Restaurants

Gulf Coast diners just might think twice about chowing down on fried chicken after they see—and hear—“Hell on Wheels,” PETA’s guerilla-marketing campaign featuring a life-size chicken transport truck covered with images of real chickens crammed into crates on their way to a slaughterhouse, complete with actual recorded sounds of the birds’ cries and a subliminal message every 10 seconds suggesting that people go vegan.

When: Thursday, January 11, 12 noon (Tampa), and Saturday, January 13, 12 noon (St. Petersburg)

Where: Outside Shake Shack, 1011 Gramercy Lane, Tampa, and Social Roost, 150 First Ave. N., St. Petersburg

The vexatious vehicle will debut outside Shake Shack on Gramercy Lane in Tampa before moving on to confront diners at other chicken-centric restaurants, including Dave’s Hot Chicken, Guthrie’s Chicken Fingers, Hooters, Popeyes, and Church’s Texas Chicken. Two days later in St. Petersburg, the truck will ruffle feathers at Social Roost on First Avenue N. before moving on to PDQ, YaYa’s Flame Broiled Chicken, Zaxby’s, PoFolks, Chicken Salad Chick, Chick-fil-A, and other restaurants.

“Behind every barbecued wing or bucket of fried chicken is a once-living, sensitive individual who was crammed onto a truck for a terrifying, miserable journey to their death,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s ‘Hell on Wheels’ truck is an appeal to anyone who eats chicken to remember that the meat industry is cruel to birds and the only kind meal is a vegan one.”

“Hell on Wheels” will also roll through Sarasota on January 18.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview, and offers a free vegan starter kit on its website.

For more information, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post ‘Hell on Wheels’ Is Coming: Squawking Chicken Truck to Ruffle Feathers Outside Tampa Bay Restaurants appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.
January 8, 2024

Photos: Succession Stars Reunite at PETA Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Honoring James Cromwell

Despite disinheritance and threats of legal action, Cousin Greg showed up to support Uncle Ewan on Saturday as James Cromwell—who is nominated for a Creative Arts Emmy Award tonight—cut the ribbon for the grand opening of PETA’s Los Angeles event space, The James Cromwell Empathy Center, named in honor of the actor who has spoken up for animal rights at every turn. His Succession costar Nicholas Braun and good friend Ed Begley Jr. were both in attendance. Photos are available here.

Photo: Nicholas Braun, James Cromwell, and Ed Begley Jr.

“There is no successor to James Cromwell—he is the king of activism for animals and others,” says PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange. “Animals have a fierce and lifelong ally in James, and PETA is happy to honor him by naming a building after him for his relentless advocacy for all animals threatened with exploitation, torment, and slaughter.”

In his decades-long activism, the PETA honorary board director has locked himself in a shipping crate at Los Angeles International Airport to persuade Air France to end its shipments of monkeys to laboratories; was arrested at Texas A&M University after protesting its muscular dystrophy experiments on dogs; superglued his hand to a New York Starbucks counter to protest the company’s surcharge on vegan milk; helped transfer a PETA-rescued piglet he named Babe to a sanctuary after he fell off a truck taking him to be fattened for slaughter; among others.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.

The post Photos: Succession Stars Reunite at PETA Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Honoring James Cromwell appeared first on PETA.

This post was originally published on Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA.