Flush from her success in her home state of Iowa, Raising Hope star and longtime animal advocate Cloris Leachman penned a letter to Utah lawmakers on PETA’s
behalf urging them not to block people from gathering the evidence needed to
prosecute animal abusers

Every
PETA undercover investigation of factory farms has yielded evidence that workers
were abusing animals. We recorded workers who sexually assaulted a pig with a cane,
stomped on a turkey’s head
until her skull exploded,
and spit tobacco into
chickens’ eyes and mouth.
This indisputable proof of abuse is key to securing historic charges against and
convictions of such abusers on cruelty-to-animals charges.

How You Can Help

Utah
residents, please ask your senators to vote against this bill and to continue
to allow people to expose blatant cruelty to animals.

Article source: PETA Files

February 24, 2012

Citizens from across
Kentucky participating in the state’s 10^th annual Humane Lobby Day,
met with lawmakers at the Capitol to urge them to support legislation to expand
vital protections for animals. One top-priority measure would add protections
for pets in domestic violence cases. Another would forbid persons convicted of
animal cruelty from keeping animals. The Humane Society of the United States,
ASPCA® (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) and the
Kentucky Animal Welfare Alliance sponsored Humane Lobby Day.

“Kentucky lags behind other
states in its animal welfare laws, but legislators can make some important
strides this session with protections for companion animals,” said Pam Rogers,
The HSUS’ Kentucky state director. “This day is an opportunity for animal advocates
throughout the state to come together and let their legislators know they are
very concerned about the overall status of animal welfare in our state.”

“It’s important for Kentucky
lawmakers to hear from their constituents to improve the state’s animal cruelty
laws and enact stronger protections for our companion animals,” said Carolyn
Schnurr, ASPCA federal legislative manager. “Humane Lobby Day is a unique
opportunity for animal advocates from across the state to meet with their
elected officials and have their voices heard.”

Attendees urged their
representatives to support H.B. 273, sponsored by Ron Crimm, R-Jefferson, Linda
Belcher, D- Bullitt, John Carney, R-Adair and Taylor, and Donna Mayfield, R-
Clark and Madison, which requires persons convicted of animal cruelty to
forfeit their animal and prohibits ownership of animals of the same species for
two years. This is aimed at preventing an abused or tortured animal from being
returned to the abuser. 

To illustrate the importance
of strong pet protection laws, a border collie named Shamrock who survived a
serious gunshot wound to his face made a special appearance alongside
participants. The dog was rescued a rehabbed by a group called The Shamrock
Arrow Fund. The group’s director, Rebecca Eaves, also brought along other
canine victims of neglect to drive home the point that pets need strong laws on
their side.

Advocates also urged
representatives to support H.B. 233, sponsored by Joni Jenkins, D-Jefferson,
and Kelly Flood, D-Fayette, which would include pets in domestic violence
protective orders. Pets are often used as leverage to control family members
who want to leave an abusive situation. This bill would allow the family pet to
receive the protection of the courts. 

Kentucky ranks 42nd in The HSUS’
2011 state animal protection rankings, which grades each state  based on a
wide range of animal protection laws dealing with pets, animal cruelty and
fighting, wildlife, animals in research, horses and farm animals. The state
gained points for banning the private possession of wild animals, but ranks low
as one of only 10 states without felony penalties for cockfighting and is the
only state that does not consider possession of dogs used for fighting a
felony.

Media
Contacts:  HSUS – Stephanie Twining, 301-258-1491, stwining@humanesociety.org
                              ASPCA
– Rebecca Goldrick: 646-291-4582, rebecca.goldrick@aspca.org

Article source: HSUS

A “best
dressed” list favorite, Academy Award–winner Penélope Cruz won’t be wearing fur to this year’s Oscars—or ever!

Six-time
Oscar-nominated George Clooney has won millions of
hearts around the world—and first among them is his rescued shelter mutt,
Einstein’s.

Academy
Award–nominee Jessica
Chastain is sure to shine on the red carpet—thanks in part to her vegan diet.

Two-time Academy Award–nominee Woody Harrelson took time out of his
busy schedule preparing for the much-anticipated blockbuster The Hunger Games to ask his California senator
to ban the use of chimpanzees in invasive experiments.

Academy
Award–nominee Taraji P. Henson would rather go naked
than wear fur—and posed in a sexy nude ad for PETA to let the world know!

Oscar-nominated
Anne Hathaway may have hosted last year’s awards ceremony, but the real
party is any dinner that this vegetarian hosts since it would likely include vegan desserts—and never any flesh!

Kate Winslet is the youngest
person to score six Academy Award nominations,
and among her many credits is PETA’s shocking foie gras exposé.

Beginning
with his Oscar-nominated performance in the animal-friendly film Babe through his latest role in this
year’s Academy Award–nominated film The Artist, James Cromwell continues advocating for animals—by protecting racehorses,
narrating PETA’s pig
farm investigation, and simply not eating them!

Oscar-nominated
heartbreaker Ryan Gosling deserves
an award every year—even if he hasn’t appeared in a film!—for condemning McDonald’s, KFC, and factory
farms for breaking animals’
hearts in the cruelest ways possible.

When
Glenn Close isn’t busy racking up Academy
Award nominations (she has six!), this proud shelter-dog guardian actively
promotes dog adoption.

While
you may not be walking down the red carpet with these actors, you can still be a
star for animals. Join the many Academy Award winners and nominees who care
about animals by going vegan,
pledging
never to wear fur, or adopting—never buying—a
companion animal!

Article source: PETA Action Alerts

Richard Fisher | cc by 2.0

Now
we’re that much closer to stopping
the transport of primates for use in experiments once and for all—but we’re not
there yet.

How You Can Help Keep
Animals out of Laboratories

Please continue to tell the few remaining airlines
that ship primates to laboratories—including Air France, China Eastern
Airlines, and Continental Airlines—that cruelty should be grounded.

Article source: PETA Files

Sadly, these animals have been captive too long to be released into the wild (they wouldn’t know how to find adequate food, water, or shelter on their own). But please urge Petland to relinquish these tortoises to a reputable sanctuary so that they will have a shot at true happiness in their final days. At the very least, Petland should provide Frobar and Missy with much larger environments, with lots of natural vegetation, rocks to hide behind, and water to soak in. 

Please send polite comments to Petland, and forward this alert widely! 

Send polite comments to:

Joe Watson
President
Petland, Inc.
740-775-2464
joe.watson@petland.com

Dwight Burk
Owner
Petland
348 County Rd. 410 #7
South Point, OH 45680
740-894-7387 
dwight.burk@petland.com

Article source: PETA Action Alerts

February 24, 2012

State Rep. Diana Urban and Rep. Jack Hennessy Honored for Advocating for Animal Welfare Legislation

The Humane Society of the United States, the nation’s largest animal
protection organization, recognizes state legislators across the country who
have initiated positive animal protection legislation and advanced reform in
their state. The HSUS is pleased to announce that Rep. Diana Urban, D-North
Stonington, Stonington, and Rep. Jack Hennessy, D-Bridgeport, were each
presented with a 2011 Humane State Legislator Award for their leadership. 

“The animals of Connecticut are fortunate to have strong voices like
Representatives Urban and Hennessy willing to step up to the plate and fight
for what is right,” said Annie Hornish, Connecticut State Director for The
HSUS. “Thanks to their efforts, wildlife watchers, horseback riders,
hikers, and other outdoor recreationalists will continue to enjoy peaceful and
safe recreation on Sundays, and law enforcement will now have improved
informational tools they need to crack down on child and animal abusers
alike.” 

Rep. Urban and Rep. Hennessy were honored for their work in blocking H.B.
11-5158, legislation which would have opened Sundays to hunting and stripped
the one day a week dedicated to non-hunting recreation. Hunters already enjoy
recreational opportunities disproportionate with their numbers, and this
legislation would have created an even greater imbalance among outdoor
users. 

H.B. 11-6226/Public Act 11-194, landmark legislation introduced by Rep.
Urban, requires the cross reporting of child abuse and animal cruelty,
acknowledging the link between animal abuse and future violent behavior, a
relationship that has been recognized by the FBI since 1971. 

“I depend on the support from The HSUS members’ letters and phone calls.
This reward belongs to all of us,” said Rep. Urban. 

“I am grateful to receive this award,” said Rep. Hennessy. “I thank The HSUS
supporters who back my efforts to make this world a better place for
animals.” 

Media Contact: Katie Jarl: kjarl@humanesociety.org,
713-516-7892  

Article source: HSUS

PETA News on Tumblr

Give
us five minutes, and we’ll give you all the latest animal rights news on PETA’s Tumblr page.

• Don’t read this if you’re hungry. 
• Snooki shows that fur is so not for guidettes.
• Are dolphins and whales the next “people”?
• For perhaps the first time ever, a TV
  news crew captures a gruesome military trauma training exercise on animals in
  progress.
• Aww—a beautiful baby piglet. 
• SeaWorld is cited by the U.S. Department
  of Agriculture for letting a sea lion die in a drainpipe.
• This is how all elephants should be.
• Guess what the number one cause of
  Amazon deforestation is? Hint: You can’t see the forest for the shoes.

New Features

• Penélope,
  Ryan, George, and Jessica will light up the red carpet on Oscar night, and they are just a few
  of the famous faces who are always ready to shine a light on important animal
  issues too.

New Action Alerts

• Help stop a South Carolina hoarder. One year after a PETA
  investigation shut down a hoarding facility, authorities still haven’t filed
  cruelty-to-animals charges against the owner or banned her from acquiring more
  animals.
• Urge a Kansas City cemetery to stop
  killing deer. By placing simple
  covers over the spikes in its wrought-iron fencing, the cemetery could save
  countless deer from being impaled.
• Down gets ducks down. Sign the pledge
  to be down-free.

Article source: PETA Files

Elsewhere in Hollywood, Russell Brand
is reportedly in puppy love. The Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity alum was spotted cuddling and petting rescued
dogs
at an adoption event in Beverly Hills.

Fellow adoption advocate Amanda Seyfried
gushed about her rescued one-eyed cat, Fran, on Chelsea Lately,
while Michael Clarke
Duncan
filled Jay Leno in on the delish vegetarian dishes that his girlfriend, Omarosa,
has been cooking up for him.

What do vampires think about fur? That
it sucks, of course. Before you “wha-wha” me, read this: Tweeting
about his foundation’s anti-fur petition, Ian Somerhalder wrote: “Fur
sucks…Really. … Furs: Animals being killed so you can wear your new fox coat ….”
Is it just me, or does Ian Somerhalder smolder hotter every day?

Article source: PETA Files

Your voice is needed today!

Please politely urge Idaho state senators to oppose S.B. 1305. E-mail addresses and phone numbers for Idaho senators can be found here.

And please forward this message widely! 

Article source: PETA Action Alerts

The
U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote on a bill that would ban transporting horses in
double-deckers, but one congressmember
has proposed a last-minute amendment that would strike that provision from the
bill. Rep. Cory Gardner of Colorado is asking Congress to approve his amendment
to the American Energy and
Infrastructure Jobs Act because he feels the
ban on double-decker trailers targets Western states and rodeos.

The
U.S. Department of Agriculture has already acknowledged that these trailers are
unsafe and inhumane for horses and has banned transporters from taking horses to slaughter
in them.

Inexplicably,
it is not illegal to transport horses in double-deckers for any other purpose—but it should be. Ask your representative to support
the humane treatment of horses and oppose Gardner’s amendment that strips away
their protection.

Article source: PETA Files