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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> Write a Letter to the Editor Urging Your Community to Boycott Circus Cruelty

> URGENT: Starving Deer Dying, Abused on Sacred Island

> Help Animals in 5 MINUTES FLAT

> When an Animal needs your Help

> Podcast : The Story of a Downed Cow

> Join the Revolution : Make a Difference Today

> Win a Tofurky for Thanksgiving

> Celebrity feature : Joan Jett testimonial

> Julie Benz Speaks Out Against Violence

> Win a Vegan Body-Care Pack From Jason Natural!

> CANADIANs : You can Stop Puppy Mills .

U.S. swimmer Amanda Beard unveiled a demure nude photograph of herself urging women “Don’t wear fur” on Wednesday, hours after Chinese authorities had prevented her from her staging a news conference for “safety” reasons.

“What happens with animals when their skin is ripped from their bodies when they are still alive, it’s heartbreaking for me,” she said. The Olympics provided a great platform for making those views known, she added. > More

Source: Yahoo! News , PETA

• Watch the Undercover Investigation
• Sign Our Pledge to Go Fur-Free
• Make an Urgent Gift

Donna Karan—Bunny Butcher Exposed

Donna Karan promised to stop using fur in her designs, but continues to butcher bunnies for “fashion”. Urge Karan to end the use of all fur now! READ MORE

Top 10 Reasons Not to Eat Pigs

Here are our top 10 reasons to keep pork off your fork and put delicious cruelty-free alternatives on your plate instead. READ MORE

Source : People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals

If you were involved in our 2-year-long KFC Campaign,  you’ll remember that almost every week of it was spent at the KFC on Davie Street.  On Monday, Pamela Anderson made a surprise visit to that very location to promote KFC’s new vegan chicken sandwich as well as their improved welfare standards.

Read more about Pam’s visit at The PETA Files.

Source : Liberation BC Picture from PETA Files

Did you know?

• Horses and bulls have broken their neck or back in bucking events.
• Cattle have broken a leg in roping events.
• Calf roping causes severe bruising around the throat.
• Flank straps, spurs and electric prods are used to make animals buck.
• Rodeos are brutal events that cause stress and injury to animals for the sake of entertainment.
• The RSPCA is opposed to rodeos because of the risk of injury.

To find out more about rodeos, read the rest of the document by clicking here (original source) or visit http://www.animalliberation.org.au/rodeos.php.

picture source: animalliberation.org.au

More information at BuckTheRodeo.com or at url: http://www.bucktherodeo.com/

Please have a heart. Avoid supporting rodeos, stampedes and lobby against the cruel abuse of animals for ‘entertainment’.

Dear readers,

The following is a message from Liberation BC. They need volunteers like you who have a heart for animals.

This past week has been exciting!

First came news that Overwaitea Foods (owners of the Urban Fare stores in Vancouver) would not be selling foie gras at any of their stores.

Then, just a couple of days later, Café de Paris told us that they are no longer serving foie gras and that it has been removed from their menu permanently. Two very exciting victories for the animals!

Neither of these victories would have been possible without your calls and emails. You’ve convinced them that animals matter, and that you are not willing to accept the exploitation of these defenceless animals.

Please consider making a donation to Liberation BC today to help with the continuation of this work. The summer is looking to be very busy with a lot of events and opportunities for outreach and media attention. By helping Liberation BC with a donation, you are joining together to change attitudes towards animals and create a more compassionate world.

We also learned this past weekend that KFC Canada has agreed to meet all of PETA’s demands for welfare improvements for the massive amount of chickens that they slaughter every year. For those of you who participated in Liberation BC’s regular KFC events, pat yourselves on the back. You did it. You helped to close the Broadway KFC and you cost them thousands of dollars each week during the Toonie Tuesday protests. This does go to show that if you are willing to take a stand, you can make a difference.

Keep up the fight!

Overwaitea Foods agrees to not sell foie gras in any of their stores!

Rick Thompson, Manager of Product Integrity for B.C.-based food chain Overwaitea Foods called Liberation BC last week to tell us that they will no longer be selling foie gras at their Urban Fare stores in Vancouver or any of their other stores. They have decided that chain-wide they do not want to be associated with a product like foie gras.

Please write them a note thanking them for taking this amazingly compassionate step foward:
Contact form

Café de Paris Drops Foie Gras

We can only assume that times are changing when the oldest French restaurant in Vancouver drops foie gras from its menu! Shortly after Liberation BC activists arrived at Café de Paris for our demonstration last week, the restaurant’s employees came outside to hang up a twenty foot long banner reading “We Do Not Serve Foie Gras” across the front window. They then assured us that foie gras had been removed from their menu. Read about this development here .

This is a great decision on the part of Café de Paris, and we are thrilled to add them to our list of compassionate restaurateurs who no longer sell foie gras!

Please take a minute and write a letter to them thanking them for having the courage to make this change:

Café de Paris
751 Denman
Vancouver, BC V6G 2L6
604-687-1418

Big Changes for KFC Canada!

Those of you who have been around for a while know that for two years, Liberation BC spent every Tuesday outside local KFCs, educating passersby about the company’s deplorable animal welfare standards and demanding change, in addition to a long span of daily leafleting by passionate and devoted volunteers. Well, KFC Canada finally agreed to listen to you, and as of June 1st, they announced that they will:

…purchase 100 percent of its chickens—through a phase-in program—from suppliers that use “controlled-atmosphere killing” (CAK), the least cruel method of bird slaughter available. CAK works by replacing birds’ oxygen with a mixture of nonpoisonous inert gasses to gently put them “to sleep.” It may sound horrible—because killing animals for a fleeting taste sensation always is—but for animals killed for food, it’s a 180° turnaround. Gone will be the days of broken bones, abuse by workers (because with CAK, workers never handle live birds), electric shocks, and live throat slitting and scalding.

From the PETA Files, 1 June 2008

Elsewhere in the world, the Kentucky Fried Cruelty campaign will continue.

“With KFC Canada now doing exactly what we want KFC in the U.S. to do, our members and activists will be even more energetic and invigorated about going after KFC in other countries,” Prescott said.

“All we want is for KFC worldwide to do what KFC Canada has done.”

From The Toronto Star, 1 June 2008

Thank you to all of you who came out to the KFC demonstrations. You’re the best!! Liberation BC’s regular leafleting and protests really made a difference! It couldn’t have happened without your help.

Volunteers needed!

Liberation BC will be having a table at the West End Car Free Days on June 15th, from noon to 6pm, and volunteers are need to help staff the table and answer questions. This will be a friendly, family-style event, so bring your smiles! If you are interested in helping out, contact Glenn at glenn@liberationbc.com or by phone at 604-761-4497.

This Week’s Foie Gras Outreach Event

Friday, June 6th
7-9 pm
Location to be announced

The ducks and geese need your help!

The campaign has been really successful so far, many people have stopped to sign the petition, and several businesses have made the compassionate choice and removed foie gras from their menus or shelves. Best of all, more and more people are becoming aware of this issue.

Since this campaign began West, Cru, The Greedy Pig, Lift, Pearl Drops, Oyama Sausage Company, Meinhardt, Overwaitea Foods (Urban Fare), and now Café de Paris have all agreed to stop serving, selling, and using foie gras.

If you haven’t contacted the other restaurants on the list of foie gras offenders, now is the perfect time!. All it takes is a few minutes and an email account or a phone! The list is constantly being updated, so check back often!

If you learn of a restaurant or store that is carrying foie gras, please send an email to info@liberationbc.com so that they can be added to the list. Thanks!

Pappas Furs Campaign

Every Saturday
1-3pm
Aberdeen Centre (4400 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond)

These protests at Aberdeen Centre are continuing until Pappas Furs is shut down. Pappas Furs is a Canadian furrier that specializes in clothing of the cruelest kind — enormous fur coats, wraps, and muffs made from the skins of suffering animals.

How many animals are there in a standard full-length fur coat? Anywhere from 10 to 20 foxes, 18 to 20 lambs, or 130 to 200 chinchillas!

How can you help?

Come out to one of these Saturday events and join other compassionate people in speaking out against this cruelty. These events are friendly outreach events. All you need to bring is hope and a smile!

If you can’t make it out to Richmond, you can still help by contacting Aberdeen Centre and politely telling them that you don’t want Pappas Furs in the mall!

Telephone: 604.270.1234 or 604.273.1234 ext 12
Email: info@aberdeencentre.com, leasing@aberdeencentre.com, promotion@aberdeencentre.com
Address: Fairchild Developments Ltd., Suite 130,
4400 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond, BC, V6X 3R8

Guide to recognizing fur - A new Liberation BC publication!

If you or someone you know owns an item with real fur on it, please snap a pic and send it to info@liberationbc.com. We are working on a guide to recognizing fur for the fall shopping season, and your photos can help to provide necessary visuals. If you would like to help in any way with this project, or would just like more information, please send an email. It’s important to get information out there so that people can distinguish real fur from fake fur, before they buy it, and you can help.

If you are willing to part with any fur or fur-trimmed items (either on a permanent or temporary basis) they would be invaluable as visual aids when tabling.

If you have an item that you’re unsure of, contact us and we may be able to help. Tips can also be found here.

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The following are extracts from PETA E-News for this week:

16 Horses Have Died on Racetracks Since the Kentucky Derby
In the month since Eight Belles’ ankles snapped at the Kentucky Derby, at least 16 thoroughbreds have died at racetracks around the country. PETA renews its call for a cruelty investigation into the Eight Belles tragedy. Take action today!

Ask Cirque du Soleil to Use Alternative to Live Birds
After PETA heard rumors that Cirque du Soleil—renowned for its spectacular animal-free productions—would use birds in its new Las Vegas show, Criss Angel Believe, we immediately contacted Cirque du Soleil and MGM. Take action today!

With your help, KFC Canada Finally Gives In to PETA’s Demands!
PETA has won a major battle in its efforts to stop the worst abuses of chickens by KFC. KFC Canada has agreed to a historic animal welfare plan that will improve conditions for millions of birds.

Enter to Win Cruelty-Free Cosmetics From Black Radiance and Tropez!

Glow from your sparkling eyelids to your shimmering toes with cruelty-free cosmetics from Black Radiance and Tropez! Both cosmetics lines have sensational products to help you achieve complexion perfection.

Win Quantum Wellness—As Seen on Oprah and Ellen!
Bestselling author Kathy Freston has appeared on Oprah and Ellen discussing the benefits of a vegan diet and her new book, Quantum Wellness. Now you can enter to win your own free copy here!

> Subscribe to PETA’s E-news & updates .

I came across the following from the PETA Files and thought it would be an interesting read for you:

PETA President Ingrid Newkirk has been in India for the past couple of weeks on a tour for the Indian version of her book “50 Awesome Ways Kids Can Help Animals.” We’ve been getting daily updates about the demonstrations, rallies, and educational events she’s been attending to fight animal abuse in India, and it’s all been pretty amazing stuff. But this morning’s news was the most interesting yet:

According to India’s national newspaper, The Hindu, Ingrid was arrested last night in Coimbatore for blindfolding the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Gandhi Park to protest the Indian Supreme Court’s decision to legalize a stupid macho ritual called jalikkattu, in which a crowd of men take turns taunting and abusing a terrified bull, who is forced to drink alcohol and deliberately agitated by having chili peppers rubbed in his eyes before being released into the crowd.

According to the news reports, Ingrid urged children to speak out against jallikattu, arguing that the cruel blood sport was a direct violation of Gandhi’s principles of non-violence. Ingrid described the protest as a symbolic action to close Gandhi’s eyes “towards the horror meted out to animals in the name of jallikattu.” > More …

PS This may not be recent news but I learn new things every day (e.g. this cruel practice of ‘jallikattu’)

Be Like Oprah and Try a Vegetarian Diet Today!
Oprah Winfrey is trying a vegetarian diet, and we are challenging you to do the same for at least seven days! After signing our Pledge to Be Veg for 7 Days, you’ll receive all the resources you need to get started. Sign the pledge now!

Vote for 2008’s Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity!
It’s time once again to pick the hottest vegetarian celebrity in PETA’s 2008 Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity poll. Check out who’s on this year’s list, and vote for your favorite today!

Kentucky Fried Cruelty: The Movie
It plays out like the most frightening of horror films, yet it’s based on true events. Watch the Kentucky Fried Cruelty trailers—described as “gut-wrenching,” “profoundly disturbing,” and “almost unbearable to watch”—for a sneak peak at the sinister world of KFC.

Battlestar Galactica’s Tricia Helfer PSA and Contest
One of TV’s hottest stars, Tricia Helfer, posed for PETA’s sexy new “Angel for Animals” ad. See Tricia’s ad, watch the behind-the-scenes footage of her PETA photo shoot, and enter to win seasons one through three of Battlestar Galactica—and the movie Razor—on DVD.

Alyssa Milano’s Sexy Veggie Ad
An animal lover, Alyssa Milano believes that anything you can do to alleviate suffering matters. She’s letting everyone know about the vegetarian diet by appearing in an ad for PETA with the message “Let Vegetarianism Grow on You.” Check out the ad and sign PETA’s pledge today!

Pick PETA’s Best Anti-Circus Video
We need your help! Please take a moment to watch PETA’s videos that expose circus cruelty and take our poll to tell us which video you think is the most compelling and would work best in our campaign to get circuses to stop using animals. Take our poll now!

Source : PETA

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