ICYMI: 9 Big Victories You Scored for Animals This Month

Companies are ending animal tests; protecting lobsters; banning fur, mohair, angora, and exotic skins; and refusing to sponsor elephant polo games. Take a look at all of the PETA victories in just one month that you helped us win.

Ready to win some more? Make sure that you’re receiving PETA’s action alerts so that you’re among the first to know when animals urgently need your help. We’ll send you a quick e-mail letting you know what’s happening and what we’re doing about it. Just type in your name to have PETA send a message to an animal abuser on your behalf. We’ve won thousands of victories for animals, thanks to our Action Team responders, and you can help by joining this lifesaving group today.

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It Took a Village to Save This Cat

Winter has come early this year—much of the U.S. and Canada is already experiencing subfreezing temperatures. New England had its coldest Thanksgiving on record. Buddy, a Doberman pinscher belonging to a homeless man in Montréal, reportedly froze to death in the man’s arms.

So when a cat named Pumpkin’s guardians had the same argument that they had every year about allowing her to come indoors during cold weather, her “dad” decided that he couldn’t bear to watch her shiver on the porch through another winter and knew it was time to give her a chance at a better life.

Pumpkin, a senior cat rescued by PETA

There was just one problem: Garysburg, the tiny North Carolina town where they live (population: 943), doesn’t have an animal shelter for cats—just like many other small towns.

Rescued senior cat Pumpkin licking her chops

Call it a Christmas miracle, but Pumpkin had the good fortune to wind up at Garysburg Town Hall, and PETA’s fieldworkers frequently assist officials there with spay/neuter and other animal control services. A kind city staffer took pity on Pumpkin and held onto her until a PETA fieldworker was able to drive down to pick her up and deliver her to a foster home.

Rescued senior cat Pumpkin being held by PETA staffer

Pumpkin’s foster mom reports that the 10-year-old cat is just as sweet as the pie she’s named after. Like a jack-o’-lantern, the goofy faces she makes always light up a room. We know someone out there is eager to give this gourdgeous girl a place where she can put down some roots. If that someone is you, drop us a vine, er, line at [email protected].

Rescued senior cat Pumpkin looks out the window at PETA headquarters

 

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PETA, Doctors Call for Ending Animal Tests in Johns Hopkins Book Launch

In a remarkable step forward for animals, Johns Hopkins University is hosting a launch event for a groundbreaking new book on ending animal tests, titled Animal Experimentation: Working Towards a Paradigm Change. The book is a collaborative effort of 51 experts, including scientists, physicians, and PETA’s vice president of international laboratory methods, Shalin Gala.

The book covers many topics, from the scientific problems with animal experiments to how much money the United States wastes on them and from ethical issues with imprisoning animals in laboratories to modern, non-animal testing and teaching methods. Shalin, along with simulation experts from Harvard Medical School and the University of Florida College of Medicine–Jacksonville, co-authored the chapter titled, “Modernizing Biomedical Training: Replacing Live Animal Laboratories with Human Simulation.” It discusses the new wave of high-tech human medical simulation technology, which improves learning, reduces laboratory costs, and prevents animals from being subjected to painful and deadly classroom experiments around the world.

PETA has donated 119 lifelike TraumaMan human-patient simulator models valued at nearly $3 million to Advanced Trauma Life Support programs in 22 countries. The programs have all replaced the use of animals in surgical training with simulators that are more anatomically realistic for teaching human trauma management and allow trainees to repeat procedures until they feel comfortable performing them.

PETA persuaded the U.S. Army to scale back its use of animals drastically in favor of simulators for trauma training exercises and to stop poisoning animals in cruel chemical-warfare exercises. We also successfully encouraged the Department of Defense to order all military branches to replace the use of animals in six different medical training areas, got the Coast Guard to end all use of animals in trauma training drills, and supported a new bipartisan law that—for the first time—makes human-simulation technology the new gold standard for trauma training.

As Johns Hopkins explains, Animal Experimentation: Working Towards a Paradigm Change “offer[s] a roadmap towards the continuing replacement and eventual elimination of animals used in science.” And PETA will keep working to bring that day closer and closer.

You can help by urging your congressional representatives to support the Battlefield Excellence through Superior Training (BEST) Practices Act, which would phase out the use of animals in all military trauma training drills.

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Knickers the Giant Steer Is Too Big to Eat, but All His Friends Will Die

Cows (and steers) are awesome and have the ability to experience a plethora of complex emotions. These gentle giants cherish their friends and mourn the deaths of loved ones. They may even shed tears when they suffer a loss.

So while it’s wonderful that the life of Knickers—the massive steer who has become a recent internet sensation—has been spared because of his gargantuan size, it’s horrible that his friends’ throats will eventually be slit in a slaughterhouse.

It’s obvious that Knickers has a rich social life. The herd he lives with on a Western Australia farm follows his every move. As farm owner Geoff Pearson says, “They all look up to him … wherever, whenever [he] moves, they move … he’s … the leader of the pack.”

A herd of cows is very much like a pack of wolves, with alpha animals and complex social dynamics. Cows can recognize more than 100 members of a herd, and social relationships are very important to them. They consistently choose leaders for their intelligence, inquisitiveness, self-confidence, experience, and good social skills, while size and strength aren’t considered and tendencies to bully and be selfish aren’t recognized as suitable qualities for leaders.

Cows Are Someone, Not Something

Sure, it’s not every day that you see a cow who’s 6 foot, 3 inches and 3,000 pounds walking around. But just like dogs, cats, and humans, every cow is unique. Some learn quickly, while others take their time. Some are bold and adventurous, while others are shy and timid. Some are friendly and considerate, while others are bossy and devious. They’re even known to hold grudges against other cows who treat them badly.

Like all animals—including the ones reading this—cows value their own lives and don’t want to die. Stories abound of those who have gone to extraordinary lengths to survive. All of them deserve to live in peace, just like Knickers.

All cows are special—save as many as you can by going vegan today!

By living vegan, you can ensure that nearly 200 animals a year don’t end up on dinner plates. And that’s not to mention those who will be spared suffering and death in experiments and for the clothing and entertainment industries.

Click the button below to order a free vegan starter kit filled with recipes, shopping tips, and everything else that you’ll need to start your vegan journey:

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PETA Says, ‘For the Love of Peter Dinklage, Stop Buying Huskies’

PETA and animal shelters are issuing this plea: For the love of Peter Dinklage, stop buying huskies on a whim.

In Riverside County, California, employees of the Department of Animal Services have noticed a startling uptick in the number of abandoned huskies at animal shelters, and they believe that the popularity of HBO’s sensational Game of Thrones may be the culprit.

Game of Thrones star and PETA friend Peter Dinklage has teamed up with us to remind potential guardians to be prepared to care for dogs for a lifetime when expanding the family and to adopt—never buy.

“Please, to all of Game of Thrones‘ many wonderful fans, we understand that due to the direwolves’ huge popularity, many folks are going out and buying huskies,” Dinklage says. “Not only does this hurt all the deserving homeless dogs waiting for a chance at a good home in shelters, but shelters are also reporting that many of these huskies are being abandoned—as often happens when dogs are bought on impulse, without understanding their needs. Please, please, if you’re going to bring a dog into your family, make sure that you’re prepared for such a tremendous responsibility and remember to always, ALWAYS, adopt from a shelter.”

Game of Thrones fans are abandoning huskies

Fans of the show know that direwolves—who are based on an extinct breed of North American wolf—play a pivotal role in the story. These characters resemble Siberian huskies physically, and shelter employees think that this is fueling the increase in the number of huskies abandoned at shelters.

“We really do believe the series has caused our husky spike,” said Animal Services Chief Jaclyn Schart in a Department of Animal Services news release. “It’s the same trend shelters experienced with ‘101 Dalmatians’ or ‘Beverly Hills Chihuahua.’ Popular culture drives up interest in certain breeds.”

Huskies are the most returned breed at Riverside County shelters.

Many people may not know the level of care that huskies require. They need a lot of activity, can be highly vocal, and are notorious escape artists. They also require consistent grooming.

According to reports, the number of all impounded dogs in Riverside County who were husky or husky mixes jumped from 351, or 1.7 percent, in 2013 to a staggering 1,027—nearly 7 percent—this year.

A new season of Game of Thrones is set to premiere in April.

What You Can Do

There’s no excuse for bringing more puppies into the world. More than 6 million animals end up homeless every year, and half of them must be euthanized because there simply aren’t enough good homes for them.

Always adopt, and tell everyone you know to do the same. Local shelters and resources like Petfinder have all kinds of dogs of every age and temperament. Visit them often to find the perfect companion for your family—just make sure that you’re ready to be a caring guardian before making one of the most important decisions of your life.

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