Heart 4 Animals

The holiday season is upon us, but for turkeys on factory farms, there is nothing to be thankful for. We have just released footage from an undercover investigation that reveals a rarely seen side of the turkey industry. I must warn you that the cruelty to turkeys that we found is horrifying and heart-wrenching.

Men shoved feces and feed in turkeys’ mouths and held turkeys’ heads under water. One worker bragged about jamming a broom stick 2 feet down a turkey’s throat because the turkey had pecked at the worker’s back. The same man mimicked raping a turkey hen whom he had pinned against a shed floor.

Others told PETA’s investigator that they had killed turkeys, including by hitting them with pieces of lumber and pipes. Workers broke turkeys’ necks, sometimes leaving them to suffer for several minutes before trying again or stomping on their heads. A supervisor said that he saw workers kill 450 turkeys with 2-by-4s. Many of the workers kicked and violently threw turkeys, and hens’ beaks were cut with dull pliers. You can watch video footage from the investigation here.

Now that our undercover investigator has exposed what the turkey industry does not want America to see, we need you to help turkeys on factory farms by writing to the National Turkey Federation (NTF) and asking it to support PETA’s seven-point animal welfare plan, which will help reduce the suffering of turkeys.

After writing to the NTF, please consider other ways that you can help birds during this holiday season. You can keep them off your plate this holiday season by choosing mouthwatering vegan options instead, and you can support PETA’s work so that we can continue to investigate and stop animal abuse worldwide.

Thank you for your compassion for animals.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid E. Newkirk
President

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The following websites offer more information on adopting an ‘animal-friendly’ shopping guide by allowing consumers to search for cruelty-free companies and products.

www.leapingbunny.org

search.caringconsumer.com

www.choosecrueltyfree.org.au/list.html

spca.org.sg.

When you buy a pet, you are promoting the greedy live animal trade in which animals are often housed in filthy conditions and/or killed if they don’t meet the sale-able requirements. (Read about Puppy Mills here . > Help us stop Puppy Mills )

There are many animals at your local SPCA / animal shelters awaiting adoption. The sad thing is, once past a certain period, these animals would have to be put to sleep.

To find animals up for adoption in your locale, google or type “SPCA (your City)” or “Animal Shelter (your City)” in your search engine to find your nearest shelter.  For residents of BC, here are some beautiful animals (dogs) waiting to be adopted by loving and responsible owners. Most of them were given up because their owners had to move. How sad to be left behind by the ones you love most. I wish I could adopt all of them.  ( > Update: The Obama Family WILL Adopt! )

World Animal Week starts tomorrow and continues through next Friday, and in honour of the planet’s animals we’ve teamed up with The Body Shop to ask people around the world to make themselves beautiful by speaking out for animals. During World Animal Week, The Body Shop will encourage their in-store and online customers to sign WSPA’s petition to promote the Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare (UDAW) by visiting the interactive website: www.makeyourselfbeautiful.org

WSPA and The Body Shop have also come up with a few things that you can do to make a difference for animals during World Animal Week:

1. Choose farm-animal friendly products
2. Protect your pets
3. Volunteer for animals
4. Do a cruelty-free check
5. Be an animal-friendly traveller… For even more ideas go here

For a complete list of WSPA’s Animal Week celebrations around the world go here .

Whose Skin Are You In?
The question is simple: “Whose skin are you in?” Watch PETA’s new video, which exposes the cruelty that goes into every piece of leather, fur, wool, and exotic skin used for “fashion.” Then sign the pledge that says the only skin that you’re in is your own.

Urgent Help needed: > Urge Zappos.com to Stop Selling Fur > Tell Island Veterinary School to Stop Cutting Up and Killing Animals .

Please watch PETA’s new video about ritual sacrifice horrors during annual religious ceremonies.

The footage is from PETA’s investigations of the Jewish atonement and sacrifice ritual kapporos, which is performed in Hasidic communities in the days before Yom Kippur.

In Brooklyn alone, more than 50,000 chickens are trucked in for kapporos ceremonies, in which chickens are roughly waved over people’s heads and then slaughtered. The chickens languish without food and water and are stacked in cramped, filthy transport crates on public streets for hours. Many don’t even survive until slaughter.

Many Jewish communities use money for kapporos instead of live chickens—the money is then donated to tzedakah (charity).

Rabbi Shea Hecht of the National Committee for Furtherance of Jewish Education (NCFJE) runs the largest—and arguably the most inhumane—kapporos operation in Brooklyn. PETA has filmed some of the worst abuses and cruelest conditions at Rabbi Hecht’s location. For more information on this practice and what you can do to help, click here.

Please write to Rabbi Hecht, the National Committee for Furtherance of Jewish Education (NCFJE), and representatives of Beis Din of Crown Heights—the kosher agency that certifies this kapporos operation—to demand that Rabbi Hecht no longer use live chickens for this ritual.

Please also forward this important information to your friends and family.

Thank you for all that you do for animals!

Sincerely,

Philip Schein
Senior Researcher

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals .

Tell the world that animals matter!

Animal protection organizations around the world are working together to achieve a Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare at the United Nations. We must let the governments of the world know that animals are sentient beings, capable of experiencing pain and suffering, and that animal welfare is an important part of the social development of all nations.

Join us and sign the Animals Matter to Me petition for World Animal Week this year (October 4-10).

The recent cross-country listeriosis outbreak across Canada adds to the ever-growing list of viral diseases and food poisoning cases as a result of contaminated meat consumption.

This should not come as a surprise, considering that factory farms cramp live poultry and cattle in unhygienic conditions. The un-natural injection of hormones and force-feeding is widespread in farm animals to spur their growth and speed them onwards to the slaughterhouses. Genetic engineering experiments have also interfered with these animals’ natural immunity systems and could facilitate the attack of ever-evolving viruses as they mutate to adjust to cellular changes.

Please visit the websites below to learn more about the various kinds of meat you eat:

> Factory Farms > Facts about Meat > Truth about Organic & Free Range Meats > Mad Cow Disease

> Listeriosis Victims Swelled Up like Balloons > Salmonella deaths alarming > Watch Video .

Only two short years ago, PETA delivered a custom-built doghouse to Hugo, a sweet dog who had been chained outside without any shelter from the broiling sun or the freezing cold. Thanks to kind supporters like you, we regularly bring the same comfort to hundreds of neglected “backyard” dogs every year, animals whose mean owners will not give them away and will only do the minimum within the law—if that. Hugo’s owner knew that local laws did not require shelter for dogs, and we were lucky not to be thrown off the property when we arrived with our “gift.”

PETA field workers checked in on Hugo last New Year’s Day to fill his house with new straw bedding. They found Hugo curled up inside his doghouse. Hugo was dead, and his body was just a bag of bones.

We gained custody of Hugo’s body and had him examined by a veterinarian. Hugo had been starved to death, his stomach empty except for some grass and orange peels. PETA immediately put a case file together and pressed local officials to file cruelty-to-animals charges. Through hard work and PETA’s own testimony, Hugo’s abusive owner was convicted and has received jail time and five years’ probation. We also asked that he not be allowed to own or set foot in any home where an animal is present, and the judge granted that condition as part of his probation.

Without PETA and you, there would be no hope and no justice for poor dogs like Hugo. But with your continued support, we can help stop abusers from getting near other animals and we can rescue many animals while there is still time.

Every week, PETA caseworkers receive hundreds of reports of animals who are sorely abused and neglected by their owners. We are told of dogs who are chained outside with no food, water, or shelter in blizzards, storms, and sweltering heat. We hear of dozens of cats who are trapped inside filthy homes by “hoarders.” And we never turn away a call.

We do everything we possibly can to get these animals out of their predicaments, from working with animal-sheltering agencies to helping local law enforcement pursue cruelty-to-animals charges against abusive owners. As in Hugo’s case, we provide evidence and testimony to help prosecutors secure a conviction—and send the firm message that animal abuse must not go unpunished.

While our courtroom victory came too late to save poor Hugo, it was enormously important. For decades, anti-cruelty statutes were simply ignored in northeastern North Carolina, where Hugo lived—but not anymore. As a result of PETA’s dedicated work on his case—which you made possible—animal abusers in rural areas like this one are having to change their ways.

For animals who wish only to give us their love and loyalty and who ask for nothing more in return, the world can be a very cruel, cold place. But your support for PETA’s groundbreaking and heartbreaking cruelty casework affords them the friendship, dignity, and—in the worst cases—justice that they deserve. Please donate today to help us reach those animals in the greatest need. Your help can make all the difference for a dog, cat, or other animal who is being abused or neglected right now.

Thank you for being a good friend to animals.

Kind regards,

Ingrid E. Newkirk
President
People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals

P.S. From delivering sturdy winterized doghouses to testifying against abuse in the courthouse, PETA is helping dogs, cats, and other companion animals in tangible ways. Please, continue your vital support for our lifesaving work by making a generous gift today.

The following are some vacation tips to ensure that your animals will enjoy the trip:

* Outfit your companion animal with clear identification—legible tags on collars/harnesses and microchips (a must!) can help other people identify animals who accidentally get separated from their families.
* Tips for traveling with your animal friendsTake a clear, recent photograph of your companion animal with you so that you can show it to people or use it on posters in case he or she gets lost or stolen.
* Never leave your companion animal alone in the car—or anywhere else unattended. Animals can suffer and die within minutes when they’re left inside parked cars, even on mildly warm days.
* Carry water for rest stops. No-spill travel bowls are available in pet-supply stores and online. (Remember: Never shop at PetSmart, PETCO, or any other stores that sell live animals!).
* To prevent sickness, feed dogs early so that they don’t eat in the few hours before departure. For dogs prone to carsickness, consult your veterinarian for remedies or try ginger capsules, which are available at health-food stores. You’ll also want to be sure to stop frequently to walk your dog while on the road.
* Cats can turn into escape artists on the road, so—at all times while in the car—keep them in sturdy, well-ventilated carriers that are big enough to contain a small litter pan and still allow them to stand up, stretch, and turn around comfortably. Line the carrier with a soft towel or a baby blanket, and secure the carrier to the seat with a seatbelt or a bungee cord.
* Never open a car window or door—not even a crack—when your cat or dog is unrestrained. Countless dogs and cats have been lost at tollbooths and rest stops this way.
* If you are flying, only take your animals with you if they can fly in the cabin with you (in a carrier that can be placed under the seat). It’s dangerous and frightening for animals to fly in the cargo hold—no matter what assurances airlines may give. Many animals have escaped from their carriers and gotten lost or died from heat exhaustion when temperature controls failed or flights were delayed on the tarmac.

By taking just a few simple precautions like those mentioned above, you’ll be helping to ensure a safe and fun vacation for both you and the animals who are such an important part of your life.

Source: People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals

P.S. You can find more travel tips in Ms Newkirk’s book 250 Ways to Make Your Cat Adore You. You’ll also find a world of resources—including tips on spotting and reporting potential cruelty to animals and updates on PETA’s vital work for cats, dogs, and other animals—at HelpingAnimals.com..