More than 26,000 animals, from tiny hamsters and turtles to wallabies and lemurs, were rescued from hellish conditions as a direct result of PETA’s shocking undercover investigation of the pet trade. But while the animals saved from U.S. Global Exotics (USGE) are safe and are now getting the care that they were so long denied, at this very moment millions of others just like them who were kidnapped from the wild or raised in horrific breeding mills are suffering in facilities every bit as cruel and terrifying.

PETA is doing everything that it can to expose these facilities and pressure major chains such as PETCO and PetSmart to get out of the animal trafficking business for good. Only then will we be sure that horrors like those that our investigator uncovered at USGE are stopped.

Please make the most generous donation that you can. The more resources we have, the more animals we can help.

Click on Link

Thank you for keeping the fight against this cruel industry going strong.

“Animal Liberation” may sound more like a parody of other liberation movements than a serious objective. The idea of “The Rights of Animals” actually was once used to parody the case for women’s rights. When Mary Wollstonecraft published her Vindication of the Rights of Women in 1792, her views were widely regarded as absurd, and before long, an anonymous publication appeared entitled A Vindication of the Rights of Brutes. The author of this satirical work (now known to have been Thomas Taylor, a distinguished Cambridge philosopher) tried to refute Mary Wollstonecraft’s arguments by showing that they could be carried one stage further. If the argument for equality was sound when applied to women, why should it not be applied to dogs, cats, and horses? …

When we say that all human beings, whatever their race, creed, or sex, are equal, what is it that we are asserting? Like it or not, we must face the fact that humans come in different shapes and sizes; they come with different moral capacities, different intellectual abilities, different amounts of benevolent feeling and sensitivity to the needs of others, different abilities to communicate effectively, and different capacities to experience pleasure and pain. In short, if the demand for equality were based on the actual equality of all human beings, we would have to stop demanding equality. …

The existence of individual variations that cut across the lines of race or sex, however, provides us with no defense at all against a more sophisticated opponent of equality, one who proposes that, say, the interests of all those with IQ scores below 100 be given less consideration than the interests of those with ratings over 100. Perhaps those scoring below the mark would, in this society, be made the slaves of those scoring higher. Would a hierarchical society of this sort really be so much better than one based on race or sex? I think not. But if we tie the moral principle of equality to the factual equality of the different races or sexes, taken as a whole, our opposition to racism and sexism does not provide us with any basis for objecting to this kind of inegalitarianism. …

Fortunately, there is no need to pin the case for equality to one particular outcome of a scientific investigation. … There is no logically compelling reason for assuming that a factual difference in ability between two people justifies any difference in the amount of consideration we give to their needs and interests. The principle of the equality of human beings is not a description of an alleged actual equality among humans: It is a prescription of how we should treat human beings.

Jeremy Bentham, the founder of the reforming utilitarian school of moral philosophy, incorporated the essential basis of moral equality into his system of ethics by means of the formula: “Each to count for one and none for more than one.” In other words, the interests of every being affected by an action are to be taken into account and given the same weight as the like interests of any other being. …

It is an implication of this principle of equality that our concern for others and our readiness to consider their interests ought not to depend on what they are like or on what abilities they may possess. Precisely what our concern or consideration requires us to do may vary according to the characteristics of those affected by what we do: concern for the well-being of children growing up in America would require that we teach them to read; concern for the well-being of pigs may require no more than that we leave them with other pigs in a place where there is adequate food and room to run freely. But the basic element—the taking into account of the interests of the being, whatever those interests may be—must, according to the principle of equality, be extended to all beings, black or white, masculine or feminine, human or nonhuman.

Thomas Jefferson, who was responsible for writing the principle of the equality of men into the American Declaration of Independence, saw this point. It led him to oppose slavery even though he was unable to free himself fully from his slaveholding background. He wrote in a letter to the author of a book that emphasized the notable intellectual achievements of Negroes in order to refute the then common view that they have limited intellectual capacities: “Be assured that no person living wishes more sincerely than I do, to see a complete refutation of the doubts I myself have entertained and expressed on the grade of understanding allotted to them by nature, and to find that they are on a par with ourselves … but whatever be their degree of talent it is no measure of their rights. Because Sir Isaac Newton was superior to others in understanding, he was not therefore lord of the property or person of others.”

Similarly, when in the 1850s the call for women’s rights was raised in the United States, a remarkable black feminist named Sojourner Truth made the same point in more robust terms at a feminist convention: “They talk about this thing in the head; what do they call it? [“Intellect,” whispered someone nearby.] That’s it. What’s that got to do with women’s rights or Negroes’ rights? If my cup won’t hold but a pint and yours holds a quart, wouldn’t you be mean not to let me have my little half-measure full?”

It is on this basis that the case against racism and the case against sexism must both ultimately rest; and it is in accordance with this principle that the attitude that we may call “speciesism,” by analogy with racism, must also be condemned. Speciesism—the word is not an attractive one, but I can think of no better term—is a prejudice or attitude of bias in favor of the interests of members of one’s own species and against those of members of other species. It should be obvious that the fundamental objections to racism and sexism made by Thomas Jefferson and Sojourner Truth apply equally to speciesism. If possessing a higher degree of intelligence does not entitle one human to use another for his or her own ends, how can it entitle humans to exploit nonhumans for the same purpose?

Many philosophers and other writers have proposed the principle of equal consideration of interests, in some form or other, as a basic moral principle; but not many of them have recognized that this principle applies to members of other species as well as to our own. Jeremy Bentham was one of the few who did realize this. In a forward-looking passage written at a time when black slaves had been freed by the French but in the British dominions were still being treated in the way we now treat animals, Bentham wrote:

“The day may come when the rest of the animal creation may acquire those rights which never could have been withholden from them but by the hand of tyranny. The French have already discovered that the blackness of the skin is no reason why a human being should be abandoned without redress to the caprice of a tormentor. It may one day come to be recognized that the number of the legs, the villosity of the skin, or the termination of the os sacrum are reasons equally insufficient for abandoning a sensitive being to the same fate. What else is it that should trace the insuperable line? Is it the faculty of reason, or perhaps the faculty of discourse? But a full-grown horse or dog is beyond comparison a more rational, as well as a more conversable animal, than an infant of a day, or a week or even a month, old. But suppose they were otherwise, what would it avail? The question is not, Can they reason? nor Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?”

In this passage, Bentham points to the capacity for suffering as the vital characteristic that gives a being the right to equal consideration. … If a being suffers, there can be no moral justification for refusing to take that suffering into consideration. No matter what the nature of the being, the principle of equality requires that [his or her] suffering be counted equally with the like suffering—insofar as rough comparisons can be made—of any other being. …

Racists violate the principle of equality by giving greater weight to the interests of members of their own race when there is a clash between their interests and the interests of those of another race. Sexists violate the principle of equality by favoring the interests of their own sex. Similarly, speciesists allow the interests of their own species to override the greater interests of members of other species. The pattern is identical in each case.

Most human beings are speciesists. … [O]rdinary human beings—not a few exceptionally cruel or heartless humans, but the overwhelming majority of humans—take an active part in, acquiesce in, and allow their taxes to pay for practices that require the sacrifice of the most important interests of members of other species in order to promote the most trivial interests of our own species.…

Even if we were to prevent the infliction of suffering on animals only when it is quite certain that the interests of humans will not be affected to anything like the extent that animals are affected, we would be forced to make radical changes in our treatment of animals that would involve our diet, the farming methods we use, experimental procedures in many fields of science, our approach to wildlife and to hunting, trapping and the wearing of furs, and areas of entertainment like circuses, rodeos, and zoos. As a result, a vast amount of suffering would be avoided.

To order a copy of Animal Liberation for yourself or friends, please visit PETACatalog.org.

When PETA first found him, Outlaw had only a small wooden barrel for shelter and was chained dangerously close to a wobbly pile of heavy tires. The barrel was tilted, so the rain came straight down on him. He was tied up for life—day and night, night and day—on a worn-down circle of dirt in both bone-chilling winter temperatures and the broiling summer heat. When PETA fieldworkers played with him, it was probably the first time that anyone had paid him that much attention. Our fieldworkers also cleaned the waste from his dirt patch and set him up with a sturdy, weatherproof doghouse just before a winter storm set in. For the first time in Outlaw’s life, he now has an “inside” to go to, a place where he can get out of the weather, and a way to keep himself warm and dry. As a PETA “Angel for Animals” doghouse sponsor, you can help dogs like Outlaw make it through cold winters by giving them a sturdy doghouse and straw bedding into which they can burrow. Please give shelter to a neglected dog who is chained or penned outside today. Be An “Angel”
TodayYou can change that.

For many of these animals, a sturdily constructed doghouse can make all the difference in the world—it can sometimes even be the difference between life and death. That’s why PETA’s “Angel for Animals” program is so important. Won’t you become an “angel” for a lonely dog this year?

As an “Angel for Animals” sponsor, you can help provide a sturdy, weatherproof PETA doghouse that will give a needy dog the shelter that can help see him or her through winter and also help him or her endure bad weather for years to come.

It’s impossible to be anything other than miserable when you’re wet and cold. That’s what winter means for dogs who are kept chained outside like bicycles and forced to face the elements without proper shelter. PETA goes out and finds and helps hundreds of these dear individuals every winter. Most of these dogs find themselves with little more than a freezing patch of dirt and no way to escape the harsh conditions.

It is startling to see the difference that a well-built doghouse can make in these animals’ lives. We fill our doghouses with warm, fluffy straw bedding—the dogs go inside immediately to curl up and can’t believe their luck. They smile! Their tails thump, life comes into them, and their world doesn’t seem quite so hopeless anymore. We also give them tangle-free lightweight line to replace the heavy chains that weigh them down, and we provide them with a toy, a nutritious meal to winter-proof them that day, clean water (often we break the ice or have to provide a bucket or bowl), and a few minutes of the love and attention that mean the world to these social souls.

Last year, thanks to generous “Angel for Animals” sponsors, PETA provided nearly 300 neglected dogs who live in low-income areas with sturdy doghouses. These are dogs people can legally keep in conditions we find appalling. With many more dogs in urgent need—and with temperatures dropping fast—we want to top that number this year, and I hope that we can count on your support. There are so many ways that you can help:

* Your “Angel for Animals” sponsorship gift of $265 can provide a sturdy, straw-filled doghouse to one neglected dog.
* Your “Angel for Animals” sponsorship gift of $530 can provide sturdy, straw-filled doghouses to two neglected dogs.
* Your “Angel for Animals” sponsorship gift of $1,325 can provide sturdy, straw-filled doghouses to five neglected outdoor dogs. It will be the best present they will ever have!

Please know that any gift you can give, no matter its size, will be put to work immediately toward this vital program.

Life is always hard for an unloved and ignored backyard dog—many people treat these animals as little more than a living burglar alarm on a chain. But this time of year can be particularly lonely, beyond miserable, and even deadly. Right now, these animals are facing another long, bitter winter with nowhere to go to get out of the stinging cold and the wet. By giving one of our doghouses to one or more of these dear individuals, you will immediately help reduce the suffering of a dog in need—and it will likely be the first “home” that he or she has ever had. Won’t you please become a PETA “Angel for Animals” doghouse sponsor today?

We need your help to stop the carnage taking place on fur farms around the world, including the slaughter of nearly 2 million cats and hundreds of thousands of dogs each year in China. Donate Now The skin is then ripped off their broken and abused bodies and will be turned into fur-trimmed hats, jackets, gloves, and other items—items that you will find on the shelves of department stores this fall.

For the Chinese fur industry—one of the world’s largest suppliers of animal fur—this isn’t just about fur coats. The result of the suffering of animals in China may be creeping into consumers’ daily lives right now, often without their even knowing it. You can help us protect animals killed for their skin and stop the fur industry in its tracks by making a special gift today to support PETA’s unique and vital work to end animal abuse.

The ways that the suffering caused by the fur industry appear in the lives of otherwise compassionate consumers is insidious. It may come in the form of a toy purchased for a cat at a pet-supply store—a toy that could be made from the skin of another cat who was stolen, loaded in a crate onto a truck with thousands of other cats, forced to endure days of suffering while being transported to a slaughterhouse in northern China, and then cruelly beaten and skinned. But the label won’t tell you that.

Or those little fur tassels on a pair of gloves. Those might be the fur of a German shepherd or a chow chow, who was once loved and cherished—and then was one day kidnapped and sold at the local animal market. After days without water or food and after being beaten repeatedly, the dog was painfully killed and stripped of skin. Did the label mention that?

The fur industry is so desperate to push its cruel wares that it has even stooped to lying to unsuspecting consumers, intentionally mislabeling fur garments as fake—or as coming from rabbits or other animals when they’re actually from cats and dogs. The fact is that it takes expensive DNA tests to prove what kind of animal was killed to make each piece of fur trim, coat collar, glove lining, cat toy, or furry trinket. So as you can imagine, these tests are rarely, if ever, done.

PETA is leading the fight against the fur trade—both in China and worldwide—and we’re making significant progress. Through our thought-provoking campaigns and groundbreaking undercover investigations, we’re getting major designers and retailers like Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Liz Claiborne Inc., Polo Ralph Lauren, and Tommy Hilfiger to swear off using fur in their collections. But none of what we do is possible without your support.

That’s why I hope you will make a generous donation today to help us call attention to the horrors that animals killed for their skins endure and work to shut down this violent and bloody trade for good.

Together, we can help the dogs, cats, rabbits, and countless other individual animals who are suffering on fur farms in China and around the world.

Ever been stuck at the store wondering if a product is cruelty-free? Well, iPhone users, your problem is now solved! The folks over at Hot Frog Creative have teamed up with PETA for what we think is one of the most useful iPhone apps out there: the “Be Nice to Bunnies” app.

We’ve come a long way from those reliable little paper pocket guides. This searchable application for your iPhone or iPod touch helps you make an informed decision about cruelty-free purchasing on the go. Feeding directly from PETA’s own cruelty-free database, this app will get you the up-to-date information that you need to stay a caring and informed consumer on everything from toothpaste to dog treats!

Search by brand, manufacturer, or product category. You can also view all products in a full do-test and don’t-test list format. The “Be Nice to Bunnies” app is quick and easy and essential to anyone who shops cruelty-free.

Get the ‘Be Nice to Bunnies’ App Now!

* Elephants are chained for an average of more than 26 hours at a time, sometimes for as many as 60–100 hours straight on extended trips. Chained and barely able to take a step, the elephants sway neurotically.

* Kenneth Feld—CEO of Feld Entertainment, the company that owns Ringling—had to admit that he’s seen handlers use bullhooks to hit elephants in the secret places where the wounds don’t show up as much (i.e., under the chin, behind the ear, and on the back of the leg).

* Ringling’s animal behaviorist testified that an elephant who had been struck with a bullhook was seen dripping blood on the arena floor during a show.

* In internal e-mails that came to light, a Ringling veterinary assistant reported, “After this morning’s baths, at least 4 of the elephants came in with multiple abrasions and lacerations from the [bull]hooks. … The [lacerations] were very visible …. [A handler] applied … wonder dust just before the show.” (Wonder Dust is a gray dressing powder that circus workers can use to conceal bloody bullhook wounds.)

* Another internal report documented that Troy Metzler, a longtime Ringling elephant trainer, struck Angelica, a female Asian elephant, three to five times while she was held in stocks before unloading her and then shocking her with an electric prod.

* Two former Ringling employees, who had previously blown the whistle to PETA, described the abuse that they witnessed while working for the circus, including a violent beating of an elephant that lasted at least 30 minutes.

Check back with the PETA Files in the coming months for an update on the verdict. We hope that the elephants win, but regardless of the outcome, the trial has already generated lots of deservedly negative publicity for this miserable circus. And that’s a good thing considering how hard Ringling works to put a misleading, positive spin on clamping elephants in irons, dominating and intimidating them with bullhooks, and confining them to boxcars and arena basements for much of their lives.

On June 3, 1997, the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil outlawed Farra do Boi. However, Santa Catarina officials have failed, year after year, to enforce this ban, and the cruel Farra do Boi events continue to this day.

Please contact Santa Catarina Governor Luiz Henrique da Silveira as well as the Brazilian Embassy and demand that municipal authorities stop this horrible event. Remind them that citizens can easily celebrate without torturing animals and that compassionate tourists will gladly forgo traveling to Brazil, and particularly to Santa Catarina, until the Farra do Boi butchery comes to an end.

Please send polite comments to:

Luiz Henrique da Silveira
Governador do Estado
Centro Administrativo do Governo
Rod. SC 401, km. 5, nº 4600
88032-900
(48) 3221-3186
(48) 3221-3164 (fax)

U.S. Embassy
SES, Av. das Nações, Quadra 801, Lote 03
70403-900 Brasília, DF
(55-61) 3312-7000
(55-61) 3225-9136 (fax)

Please visit PETA to voice your protest.

With your help, PETA is mounting international pressure on the Canadian government to stop this state-sanctioned, senseless slaughter. We urgently need you to join us in speaking up for these animals today.

Please make as generous an online donation as you can to support PETA’s global campaign to help bring an end to the seal massacre and to stop the killing of other gentle animals for their skins.

Thank you for taking a stand for these and other vulnerable animals everywhere.

Please visit PETA for more information.

Thousands of live animals are shot, stabbed, dismembered, burned, and poisoned every year in Department of Defense (DoD) training exercises designed to train medics and infantry in how to treat various human battlefield injuries. PETA is asking President Obama to issue an executive order requiring the DoD to replace animals with non-animal methods. These methods are readily available and already in use at several military installations. The non-animal methods include rotations in military trauma hospitals and the use of the DoD’s own Combat Trauma Patient Simulator.

Please help animals who suffer for military training by asking President Obama to extend his ban on torture to include animals used in military trauma-training exercises.

Please send a polite e-mail to your Congressional representative asking him or her to urge President Obama to issue an executive order requiring the DoD to replace the use of animals in trauma and chemical-casualty training exercises with available non-animal methods.

Please Click Here

Every year, more than 15 billion animals are slaughtered for food in the U.S. alone. Each of those billions of individual animals is denied everything that is natural and important to them: the space to take a few steps, love, safety from fear and pain, companionship, the joy of being able to nuzzle their young, and often even protection from the cold. That’s billions of feeling beings who die frightening, painful, and often violent deaths so that they can be thrown into a bucket or a box or onto a sandwich.

In 2009, will you please consider the suffering of each of the animals killed for food and pledge to try a vegetarian diet for just 30 days?

For every person who signs the Pledge to Be Veg for 30 Days through the end of January 2009, PETA will make a donation to a program to plant fruit trees in an impoverished village where people go hungry every day. These people would benefit from the vitamin C and other natural goodness of the fresh fruit that you would be helping to provide. So not only will you be helping animals, you’ll also be helping to nourish a hungry person.

The trees that you will help plant will also provide shade and shelter. They will reduce carbon emissions and allow rainfall to soak into the ground instead of washing away precious top soil. But the connection between your diet and the environment doesn’t stop there.

A U.N. report summarized the devastation caused by the meat industry by calling it “one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.” By planting these trees, we will work together to mitigate some of the devastation caused by factory farms.

By taking the Pledge to Be Veg for 30 Days, you will be helping animals, the environment, and those who are hungry, and you even get to do something terrific for yourself—get more energy, cleaner arteries, and a chance to live a longer and fitter life! Sign the pledge now, and we’ll send you great tips and resources to get you started.

You can join others who have signed the pledge by visiting ExperienceProject.com, the world’s largest network of shared experiences! There, you can use the site’s free online tools to track your daily progress on eating vegetarian, give and get support from others who took the pledge, and challenge your friends to get involved too!