Outlawed
in 22 countries, declawing is a cruel and permanently crippling surgery involving the amputation
of the last joint of every toe, including bones and cartilage! Persistent pain,
loss of balance, nerve damage, bone chips requiring additional
surgery, gangrene, and skin disorders are associated physical complications;
and nails can later grow back painfully and
unseen, within the paw! Declawed cats often
become reclusive, depressed, and insecure and begin eliminating outside the
litterbox. Psychologically changed, these animals are then bounced around from
home to home or wind up at animal shelters.

Article source: PETA Action Alerts

May 25, 2012

Top Trainer Will Plead Guilty to Felony Conspiracy to Violate the Federal Horse Protection Act

Media can download extended video footage from the investigation.

Updates
 
 

• May 24: The HSUS called Tenn.’s attorney general to investigate the role of horse show management in allowing illegally sored horses to continue competing

• May 22: Jackie McConnell pleaded guilty to a felony in the Tennessee walking horse abuse case.

The Humane Society of the United States released undercover video footage today revealing cruel treatment of horses in the Tennessee walking horse industry. The subject of the investigation, nationally known trainer Jackie McConnell, notified the federal court in Tennessee last week that he intends to plead guilty to felony conspiracy to violate the Horse Protection Act.

The video, shot over several weeks in 2011 at Whitter Stables, operated by McConnell, shows individuals abusing horses by using painful chemicals on the horses’ front legs to force them to perform an artificially high-stepping gait for show competitions. This cruel practice, known as “soring,” has been illegal for more than 40 years under the federal Horse Protection Act.

The footage also shows horses being brutally whipped, kicked, shocked in the face, and violently cracked across the heads and legs with heavy wooden sticks. The investigator documented the cruel practice of “stewarding”—training a horse not to react to pain during official show inspections of their legs for soreness, by striking them in the head when they flinch during mock inspections in the training barn. The investigation also uncovered the illegal use of numbing agents for the purpose of temporarily masking a horse’s reaction to pain so it can pass official horse show inspections.

Stop this cruelty now »

“I am deeply disturbed by the cruelty documented throughout our investigation, as should anyone with any level of decency,” said Keith Dane, director of equine protection for The HSUS. “The immense suffering horses often endure simply for the sake of a showy gait is unacceptable. Congress should act swiftly to stiffen penalties, eliminate industry self-regulation, and close other loopholes that have allowed many trainers to continue to abuse horses in violation of the law, undetected and with little or no penalty.”

Dane is a licensed judge for gaited horse shows, and the former president of one of the leading organizations dedicated to the humane care, treatment and training of gaited horses.

Under the Horse Protection Act, it is illegal to transport or show sored horses. McConnell, who was already on a five-year federal disqualification for soring horses, has entered his notice of intent to plead guilty to felony conspiracy to violate the Horse Protection Act as alleged in Count I of the indictment. Other defendants in the federal case are expected to plead guilty in the near future. Despite being prohibited from training during his five-year disqualification, prominent owners in the Tennessee Walking Horse community continued to pay McConnell to train their horses to compete in horse shows. Many of the owners have themselves received tickets and suspensions for entering sored horses in shows.

Watch ABC News: Nightline’s “Torture of Tennessee Walking Horses?” »

The HSUS also provided local law enforcement with critical evidence leading to the arrest of McConnell and two others charged with 31 counts of violating the Tennessee Cruelty to Animals Statute in a case that is still pending. On March 1, The HSUS assisted the Tennessee 25th Judicial District Attorney General’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Inspector General with the rescue of horses from McConnell’s training operation—many in tremendous pain, their legs seared with scars—evidence the horses had been illegally sored with chemicals over a prolonged period of time.

“We are grateful to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Tennessee 25th Judicial District Attorney General’s Office, for their hard work on this case, and for taking criminal violations of the federal Horse Protection Act and state anti-cruelty law so seriously,” Dane added.

Read our investigators’ report (PDF) »

Soring: a painful history
 
 

• The most common form of soring is performed by applying caustic chemicals to the pasterns (ankles) of show horses—sensitizing the area and forcing the horse to lift his front legs high off the ground in reaction to the pain. The horses are then ridden and shown with metal chains around their ankles, which further accentuate the high-stepping action with each painful stride. Soring often leaves telltale scars, including tissue change, calluses, bleeding, inflammation, and skin and hair loss—all of which are evidence of this cruel and illegal practice.

• Several horse industry organizations that are certified by USDA to conduct HPA inspections have consistently failed to detect and disqualify non-compliant horses at a rate comparable to that of the agency’s own veterinary medical officers. Yet no such organization has ever been decertified for non-compliance, as authorized by the HPA and regulations.

• The state and federal charges against McConnell and his associates follow another recent federal criminal prosecution involving the practice of horse soring. Last year, a federal grand jury returned a 34-count indictment against Barney Davis and three others, charging them with violations of the Horse Protection Act and related financial crimes. Davis was further charged with fraud, wire fraud and money laundering. He pleaded guilty to several counts last November, and earlier this year a federal judge sentenced him to serve more than a year in prison.

• A 2010 USDA Office of Inspector General audit exposed how players in the walking horse industry work to evade detection, rather than comply with federal law and train horses humanely. The audit stated that the USDA needs more funding for full enforcement of the Act, and recommended stiffer penalties for violators and the abolishment of the industry’s failed system of self-enforcement.

• USDA recently released statistics showing that the majority of horses tested for prohibited foreign substances at horse shows had been treated with numbing or masking agents. In response, The HSUS filed a petition in March urging USDA to treat such use as felony interference in the inspection process under the HPA.

• In 2010, The HSUS filed a legal petition with USDA that asked the agency to take steps to improve its enforcement of the Horse Protection Act. In a positive move, Congress passed a 2012 agriculture appropriations bill that increased funding for HPA enforcement by nearly 40 percent.

Media Contact

Stephanie Twining, 301-258-1491, stwining@humanesociety.org

Each page honors a special animal or person and gives you the chance to make a unique memorial gift. After you create your page, you’ll find easy e-mail tools to help you share your memorial with your friends, family, and loved ones.

How It Works

• Step 1. Select one of the buttons (on the right above) for the type of memorial that you would like to create. You will be able to include a story about your true friend as well as upload photos and videos.
• Step 2. Send an e-mail to your friends and family telling them about your memorial. We provide sample language that you can edit, forward, or post to your blog, Web site, or MySpace or Facebook profile.
• Step 3. Thank people who make a gift in memory of your true friend. We will e-mail you whenever a gift is made and automatically send a thank-you message to the people who contribute to your memorial. You can use our suggested thank-you message or create your own.

Article source: PETA Action Alerts

Don’t miss a thing: Follow PETA on Tumblr. 

Here
they are: the Sexiest
Vegetarians Next Door! Check ‘em out (you’ll be glad you did).

Guess
what the Institute on the Environment is saying would have a big impact on the planet? If you’ve been keeping up with your PETA Files reading, you won’t be too
surprised.

The
meat industry has the deep pockets, but animal advocates have the truth on our
side. And our points are being heard loud and clear. 

Robot fish! If only these fishies could convince anglers not to have the hearts of robots …

NEW FEATURE

As
Canada prepares for a historic vote on ending the seal slaughter, Canadian
actor Emmanuelle Vaugier hosts a video exposé showing exactly why this barbaric ritual must end.

(c) Sea Shepard Conservation Society

NEW
ACTION ALERTS

The Missouri General Assembly passed the
state’s dangerous “ag gag” bill. Don’t let animal abusers on factory
farms hide behind an unconstitutional law. E-mail Gov. Jay Nixon and urge him to veto it.

Ask Mexican wildlife officials to release the suffering lone lion at the Zacango Zoo into the U.S. sanctuary
where PETA has secured a spot for him.

Article source: PETA Files

Please urge officials to locate and free
this animal immediately.
The bird was last heard “inside the wall, under the school’s only stairway,
next to the window.”

Polite comments can be directed to:

Martha Rogers
Director of Education
Upper Grand District School Board
519-822-4420, ext. 720
martha.rogers@ugdsb.on.ca

Bob Borden
Chair
Upper Grand District School Board
519-940-0279
bob.borden@ugdsb.on.ca

Bonnie Talbot 
Superintendent
Island Lake Public School
519-941-3292
bonnie.talbot@ugdsb.on.ca

Ontario SPCA Orangeville and District Branch
519-942-3140
519-939-8537 (after hours)
orangeville@ospca.on.ca 

Orangeville Police Service
admin@orangevillepolice.ca

Article source: PETA Action Alerts

PETA
campaigner Tracy Patton stood up and asked
McDonald’s executives why they continue to allow their suppliers to use an archaic slaughter method that includes slicing
chickens’ throats while they’re still conscious and scalding them to death in
defeathering tanks. She explained to the group of shareholders that an improved
slaughter method called “controlled-atmosphere killing” (CAK) would eliminate the
worst abuses of chickens and is already used by McDonald’s suppliers in Europe
and by other companies in
the U.S. 

The
McDonald’s execs hemmed and hawed and made excuses, but they and the
shareholders got the message that PETA isn’t going to let McDonald’s cruel
slaughter of hundreds of millions of chickens each year be swept under the rug.

Make
sure that McDonald’s gets the message from you, too. E-mail President Don
Thompson, and demand that the chain switch to CAK.

Article source: PETA Files

Her most recent rescue resulted from a
trip to the local shopping mall. She saw something moving near a Dumpster, and when
she stopped to investigate, she discovered a sickly looking cat who was walking
through broken glass and trash, desperately searching for scraps of food. The weak
and frail cat’s ribs were protruding, her eyes were oozing pus, and she was crawling
with parasites.

The woman called PETA, and while she
retrieved a humane live trap and a can of cat food from her car, we set up an
appointment with a local veterinarian who is always happy to help the supporter
and PETA. Just hours after the sick, starving feline was first spotted, the
animal was mercifully
euthanized, surrounded by caring people.

This determined animal advocate has
saved countless cats from unimaginable suffering simply by always making the time
to help. If you see an animal in need, please never be silent. 

Article source: PETA Files

May 25, 2012

Commissioner calls hounding an “abhorrent” practice

Despite pressure from the National Rifle Assn. and the hunting lobby, California’s Fish and Game Commission elected not to take a formal position on Senate Bill 1221—legislation that would prohibit the cruel, unsporting practice of using of dogs to hunt bears and bobcats. This action will give added momentum to S.B. 1221, which passed the Senate earlier this week and now heads to the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife committee. The bill’s author is Sen. Ted W. Lieu, D-Torrance, and it is sponsored by The Humane Society of the United States.

“Eighty-three percent of California voters oppose the inhumane use of dogs to hunt down bears and bobcats. Commissioner Richard Rogers spoke for hunters and non-hunters alike when he called the practice ‘abhorrent,’ and ‘absolutely not fair chase,’” said Jennifer Fearing, California senior state director for The HSUS.

The Commission oversees California’s hunting and fishing regulations, and its decision not to oppose the legislation demonstrates yet again that the practice of hounding is outside the bounds of routine or acceptable hunting practices.

At its Monterey meeting this week, Commissioner Michael Sutton remarked that California “is in a minority in still allowing hound hunting” and urged that they “should demonstrate this is a progressive Commission and support this bill.” And after public testimony was unexpectedly limited by Commission President Dan Richards, no motion was offered to oppose the bill as recommended by the Commission’s own advisory group, the Al Taucher’s Preserving Hunting and Sport Fishing Opportunities Committee.

In hounding, dogs are set upon frightened prey animals and often chase them for miles, across all types of habitat, including forests, private property, and into national parks. Dogs are fitted with high‐tech radio devices that allow bear and bobcat houndsmen to follow the chasing dogs’ movement remotely. Once exhausted or cornered, prey animals either face the marauding dogs or seek refuge in a tree where they are typically shot at point-blank range.

Hounding of bears and bobcats is wholly unconnected to other uses of dogs while hunting, namely using dogs to retrieve waterfowl or flush out birds. Though some hunting dogs simply retrieve animals who have been killed or point hunters in the direction of their quarry, hounding of bears and bobcats involves dogs harassing wildlife—often causing injuries to the dogs when a bear or bobcat fights back.

Supporters of S.B. 1221 testified before the commission that hounding of bears and bobcats is not only cruel and inhumane for the animals involved, but a violation of hunting’s “fair chase” ethic. Public testimony was delivered by representatives of The HSUS, Santa Cruz SPCA, Born Free USA, Santa Clara County Activists for Animals, Project Coyote, the Bear League, and Action for Animals.

Facts:

• Fourteen states—including Montana, Colorado, Washington, Pennsylvania and Oregon—allow bear hunting but prohibit hounding. Montana’s wildlife management officials consider prohibiting hounding a feature of the state’s “fair chase” principles.
• A statewide survey conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling Research, Inc. in 2011 reveals that 83 percent of California voters oppose allowing packs of dogs to chase and kill bears – with 75 percent of voters saying they would support a statewide ballot measure to end this trophy hunting method that puts bears, dogs and other wildlife in jeopardy of serious harm, suffering and death.
• S.B. 1221 would make California the 15th state to prohibit the hounding of bears and the 14th state to ban the hounding of bobcats.
• Dogs can be struck by vehicles, die from dehydration or as a result of violent confrontations with wildlife, and many are abandoned, which puts a strain on local animal shelters.
• Bears are very poor distance runners and may tire and be overtaken by the dog pack. In bobcat hounding, the bobcat may stop and attempt to confront the dog pack leading to possible injury and death from the conflict for both the dogs and bobcat.
• S.B. 1221 is co-authored by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-6, Sens. Mark Leno, D-3, and Leland Yee, D-8, and Assemblymembers Toni Atkins, D-76, Bob Blumenfield, D-40, Mike Eng, D-49, Paul Fong, D-22, Anthony Portantino, D-44, Jose Solorio, D-69, and Das Williams, D-35.
• Thousands of Californians including wildlife advocates, ranchers, hunters and landowners have written or called in support of S.B. 1221, as have dozens of animal protection, wildlife rehabilitation and animal sheltering organizations including The HSUS, Sierra Club California, ASPCA, State Humane Association of California, the Bear League, and Wildcare.

Media Contact: Stephanie Twining, 301-258-1491, stwining@humanesociety.org

Article source: HSUS

The
original Focker, Ben Stiller, and his wife, Christine Taylor, are now vegan and are helping their kids embrace cruelty-free eating, too. “It
really has changed our energy level,” says Taylor. “Sometimes you don’t
realize it until someone says it to you, like, ‘Your skin looks amazing.’”

Christie
Brinkley already knew that. Still stunning at 58,
she credits what she eats with giving her supermodel good looks—she’s been
vegetarian since age 13.

Fellow model and Sexiest Vegetarian alum
Lauren Bush Lauren doesn’t mince words when talking about her feelings on factory farms. When asked who her mortal enemy was, she responded, “Factory farms, because I am a vegetarian and the thought of
innocent animals being raised in poor conditions and then systematically
slaughtered is just horrifying to me.”

Brad
Pitt had some strong words to say about animal slaughter, too. “Ever seen them butcher a cow for hamburger?”
he asked reporters at the Cannes Film Festival. “It’s incredibly brutal
and violent. We live in a very violent world.” And Billy Bob Thornton, separated from Brad by only one degree of Kevin Bacon, told Craig Ferguson that
he is now mostly vegan. When the stars weren’t going vegan this week, they were
tweeting for animal rights:

To keep up with what your favorite
celebs are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter.

Article source: PETA Files

Can’t Stop, Won’t
Stop—’Til the Truth Comes Out

Following the initial successful complaint to the USDA (based
on information provided by a laboratory insider), PETA submitted a Texas Freedom of Information Act request to UTMB asking for
documents related to the treatment of animals in its laboratories. UTMB
initially tried to use various legal exemptions to avoid releasing the records,
but PETA’s attorneys successfully argued the case, leading the Texas attorney general
to order UTMB to hand over the documents.

Those documents revealed neglectful treatment of animals
that had gone previously undetected by federal inspectors and that PETA
identified and communicated to the USDA in March 2012, prompting the agency to
cite UTMB for violations of federal law. The following are a couple of examples:

• A sheep identified only as “572M” was
  subjected to third-degree burns over 20 percent of her body and was forced to inhale smoke in experiments
  conducted by Daniel Traber. The following day, the burn lesions were cut off,
  and skin was grafted over the wounds. There was no indication of post-operative
  pain relief in any of 572M’s records—a failure that was confirmed in the USDA’s
  inspection report. Eighteen days after she was burned, 572M was killed.
• A 4-year-old marmoset monkey identified as “#28046″
  was subjected to viral and bacterial infections of his central nervous system
  in experiments conducted by Mark Estes. Monkeys used in the experiments endured
  bloody nasal discharge, anorexia, lethargy, ruffled coats, and ocular discharge
  before being killed. #28046 was described as being “very thin” and “dehydrated”
  and as “nonresponsive in rest box … hunched … hypothermic …
  thin/emaciated.” Ten days after #28046′s condition was noted, the monkey
  was found dead in his cage.

How You Can Help
Animals in UTMB Laboratories

These heartbreaking stories show that animal experimenters—even
those at supposedly top-tier institutions like UTMB—can’t be trusted to abide
by even the minimal standards of the Animal Welfare Act. As long as animals
continue to suffer in laboratories, PETA will continue to be vigilant in monitoring
what experimenters are doing. Animals in laboratories need each of us to stop the cruelty in laboratories at UTMB—and everywhere
else!

Please e-mail UTMB President David L. Callender and ask him
to discipline experimenters for their cruelty to animals immediately.

Article source: PETA Files