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People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals ('''PETA''') is an Animal Rights organization based in the United States . With 1.6 million members and supporters, PETA claims to be the largest animal rights group in the world. "About Peta" , retrieved July 10, 2006. Founded in 1980 and based in is PETA's international president. PETA's slogan is "animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment." About PETA In support of that position, it focuses on four core issues: , Animal Testing , and animals in entertainment. It also campaigns against Fishing , the killing of animals regarded as Pests , abuse of chained, backyard dogs, Cock Fighting , Bullfighting and the consumption of meat. It aims to inform the public of its position through advertisements, undercover investigations, animal rescue, and lobbying. The organization has been criticized for some of its campaigns, for the actions of some of its employees regarding their treatment of animals,Freeman, Darren. "PETA workers face 25 felony counts in North Carolina" , ''The Virginian Pilot'', October 15, 2005 and for the number of animals it Euthanizes . It was also criticized in 2005 by American Senator James M. Inhofe for having acted as a "spokesgroup" for the Earth Liberation Front and Animal Liberation Front , after activists associated with those groups had committed what Inhofe called "acts of terrorism."[http://epw.senate.gov/hearing_statements.cfm?id=247266 U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works, Hearing Statements, 05/18/2005] PROFILE PETA is an animal rights organization, meaning that in addition to focusing on Animal Welfare and Protection issues, it rejects the idea of animals as property, and opposes all forms of Speciesism , Animal Testing , animal product eating, Factory Farming , Hunting , and Fishing , as well as the use of animals in entertainment or as clothing, furniture, or decoration."Animal rights", ''Encyclopedia Britannica'', retrieved July 10, 2006. In PETA's 2004 annual review, Newkirk stated: History Founded in 1980, PETA first came to public attention in 1981 during what became known as the Silver Spring Monkeys case. Newkirk, Ingrid . ''Free the Animals''. Lantern Books, 2000. ISBN 1-930051-22-0 Alex Pacheco , PETA co-founder with Newkirk, conducted an undercover investigation inside a Primate research laboratory at the Institute of Behavioral Research in Silver Spring, Maryland. The lead researcher, Dr. Edward Taub, was studying regeneration of severed nerves by cutting nerves in the limbs of 17 monkeys, then applying electric shocks, physical restraint of intact limbs, and withholding food to see what, if anything, would force them to use the damaged limbs.Johnson, David. Review of ''The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force'' , ''curledup.com'' Pacheco visited the institute at night and took photographs that showed the monkeys were living in "filthy conditions," according to the Institute for Animal Research's ''ILAR Journal''.Sideris, Lisa et al. "Roots of Concern with Nonhuman Animals in Biomedical Ethics" , Institute for Laboratory Animal Research, ILAR Journal V40(1) 1999. He turned his evidence over to the police, who raided the lab and arrested Taub. Taub was later convicted of six counts of animal cruelty, the first conviction in the U.S. of a research scientist, although it was later overturned on appeal. The case, which lasted ten years, led to the amendment of the Animal Welfare Act in 1985,Schwartz, Jeffrey M. and Begley, Sharon. ''The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force'', Regan Books, 2002. Food Security Act of 1985 subtitle F and became the first animal-testing case to be argued before the s that "the animals were suffering and in danger of serious life-threatening injuries due to their deteriorating health," and euthanasia was recommended by the primate center's blue ribbon panel of animal care experts and the Louisiana SPCA . PETA and other animal rights groups pleaded for the animals' lives, contending that their condition did not warrant euthanasia and that "they could live safely, humanely, and comfortably if transferred to a suitable facility."The director of the Delta Regional Primate Center said: “They still blocked the euthanasia with court action. They are going to fight very hard for every monkey because the more publicity they get, the more money they bring in.”''The Washington Post'', January 5, 1989, page 7. Ultimately, PETA's efforts to save the animals failed, and they were euthanized when the appeal was denied. Laboratory Primate Newsletter April 1989 Laboratory Primate Newsletter October 1990 The case defined PETA as an activist group that was able and willing to use undercover methods, the courts, and the media to try and achieve its aims. Philosophy and activism The organization is known for its undercover investigations and aggressive media campaigns. Newkirk has said of PETA's campaign strategy: "How do we pick our battles? By trying to touch the public imagination, the public heart, and by choosing targets that will result in great change for large numbers of animals and set an example for others to follow when we win our battles with them." Many of PETA's campaigns have focused on large corporations, such as , a loose affiliation of activists with links to other groups, took its place. .]] Ingrid Newkirk is firm in her support of Direct Action . Both she and PETA have been criticized for providing financial support to Animal Liberation Front (ALF) activists when they were faced with legal action against them. ''The Observer'' noted what it calls a "network of relationships between seemly unconnected animal rights groups on both sides of the Atlantic," writing that, with assets of $6.5 million, and with the PETA Foundation holding further assets of $15 million, PETA funds individual activists and activist groups, some with "links to extremists." This includes links to the ALF and Earth Liberation Front (ELF), which the Counterterrorism department of the United States Federal Bureau Of Investigation have named as "special interest extremism organizations" and "as a serious terrorist threat.[http://www.fbi.gov/congress/congress02/jarboe021202.htm "The Threat of Eco-Terrorism"] — Testimony of James F. Jarboe, Domestic Terrorism Section Chief, Counterterrorism Division, FBI February 12, 2002 In general, Newkirk makes no apology for PETA's support of activists who may break the law, writing that "no movement for social change has ever succeeded without 'the militarism component'." Of the Animal Liberation Front, she writes: "Thinkers may prepare revolutions, but bandits must carry them out." Newkirk, Ingrid. "The ALF: Who, Why, and What?", ''Terrorists or Freedom Fighters? Reflections on the Liberation of Animals''. Best, Steven & Nocella, Anthony J (eds). Lantern 2004, p. 341./ During an event funded by several animal rights groups, including PETA, PETA's vegan campaigns director Bruce Friedrich said: "If we really believe that animals have the same right to be free from pain and suffering at our hands, then of course we're going to be blowing things up and smashing windows. ... I think it's a great way to bring about animal liberation, considering the level of suffering, the atrocities. I think it would be great if all of the fast-food outlets, slaughterhouses, these laboratories, and the banks that fund them, exploded tomorrow." From Push to Shove, page 2 PETA members have themselves crossed the line between campaigning and direct action, particularly in their long-standing efforts to halt the fur industry, History of PETA's fur campaign , ''Furisdead.com''. which has involved disrupting fashion shows and throwing paint at fur coats."Fur", '' Encyclopaedia Britannica '', 2006. In 1996, PETA activists famously threw a dead Raccoon onto the table of Anna Wintour , the editor-in-chief of '' Vogue '', who promotes the use of fur in fashion, while she was dining at the Four Seasons in New York, and left bloody paw prints and the words "Fur Hag" on the steps of her home. PETA supporters have also Pied Wintour more than once,Zappia, Corina. "Bloody Brilliant Pie, Anna Wintour, and the history of fur protest" , ''Village Voice'', October 20, 2005. and a member delivered a package of maggot-infested innards to her office in April 2000, explaining in a press release that "Anna stole this animal’s skin and his life, she might as well have his guts."Loewenberg, Anna Sophie. "The Fur Police" , ''The New York Review of Magazines'', undated, retrieved July 11, 2006. Campaigning during PETA's "I'd rather go naked than wear fur" campaign I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur , retrieved on May 28th 2007.]] PETA is best known for its highly visible, often controversial campaigns. ''(See and Naomi Campbell have posed naked on billboards with the slogan "I'd Rather Go Naked than Wear Fur" emblazoned across their chests."Fashion and Dress", ''Encyclopaedia Britannica'', 2006. PETA's campaigning tactics were described as not "much different than blackmail" in 2005 by Dr Len Stevens, the CEO of Australian Wool Innovations body. Sydney Morning Herald Article on PETA wool campaign . A similar worded accusation in a 60 minutes interview that "They were blackmailed by you" was dismissed by PETA representative Ingrid Newkirk as "It doesn't matter" so long as "They are on board" (referring to PETA achieving its boycott goal). 60 minutes transcript with Ingrid Newkirk Other campaigns are hard-hitting and controversial. The 2003 with images of factory farming. Photographs of concentration camp inmates in wooden bunks were shown next to photographs of caged chickens, and piled bodies of Holocaust victims next to a pile of pig carcasses. Captions alleged that "like the Jews murdered in Concentration Camp s, animals are terrorized when they are housed in huge filthy warehouses and rounded up for shipment to slaughter. The leather sofa and handbag are the moral equivalent of the lampshades made from the skins of people killed in the Death Camps ."Smith, Wesley J. "PETA to cannibals: Don't let them eat steak" , ''San Francisco Chronicle'', December 21, 2003. The creator of the campaign, Matt Prescott, who is Jewish and lost several relatives in the Holocaust, told ''The Guardian'': "The very same mindset that made the Holocaust possible — that we can do anything we want to those we decide are 'different or inferior' — is what allows us to commit atrocities against animals every single day. ... The fact is, all animals feel pain, fear and loneliness. We're asking people to recognise that what Jews and others went through in the Holocaust is what animals go through every day in factory farms." The project's website cited Jewish Nobel laureate said the exhibition, was "outrageous, offensive and takes Chutzpah to new heights ... The effort by Peta to compare the deliberate systematic murder of millions of Jews to the issue of animal rights is abhorrent." PETA has since apologized for this campaign. In a statement to the ADL, Ingrid Newkirk said she realized that the campaign had caused pain: "This was never our intention, and we are deeply sorry." "Holocaust Imagery and Animal Rights" , ADL Website, August 2, 2005 PETA has used Holocaust imagery before. A television public service announcement entitled "They Came for Us at Night," which aired on U.S. cable networks and in Warsaw, Poland, in July 2003, "showed the outside world through the slats of a boxcar and is narrated by a man (with an accent) who describes the plight of being transported with no food and water," according to the Anti-Defamation League, and drew an analogy between the plight of animals being transported to their deaths in cattle cars with Jews in the same situation during the Holocaust. Newkirk has been quoted as saying "Six million Jews died in concentration camps, but six billion broiler chickens will die this year in slaughterhouses."Shafran, Avi. "This time PETA's guilty of missing the point" , ''Jewish News Weekly of Northern California'', May 20, 2005. '' The organization was criticized again in 2003 when Newkirk sent a letter PETA's letter to Yasser Arafat , February 3, 2003. to then-PLO leader Yasser Arafat in response to a Jerusalem bombing attack, in which a Donkey Was Loaded With Explosives and blown up.Lynne, Diana. "PETA likens chickens to Holocaust victims" , February 25, 2003. After being "bombarded with calls," according to a PETA spokesperson, Newkirk asked Arafat to appeal to those involved in the attacks to keep animals out of the conflict. When criticized for involving herself on behalf of the non-human victims only, Newkirk told the ''Washington Post'': "It's not my business to inject myself into human wars."Dougherty, Kerry "Arafat gets ass-inine plea from PETA on intifada" , ''Jewish World Review'', February 10, 2003. Regarding PETA's controversial campaigns, Newkirk has said: Many of the campaigns bear fruit for PETA. announced that it would no longer use fur in any of its lines. "Peta claims victory as fashion house drops fur" , Associated Press, June 10, 2006. Undercover investigations One of PETA's primary aims is to document the treatment of animals in Research Laboratories and other facilities where animals are used. To achieve this, it sends its employees into laboratories, circuses, and onto farms, sometimes requiring them to spend many months undercover, filming and otherwise documenting their experiences.Justin Rood, "Undercover Cameras OK, Judge Rules" , April 13, 2007, ABC News PETA does not itself engage in raids on facilities to free animals, but it receives and publicizes tapes recorded by the ALF during the latter's raids, arranging to meet with ALF activists to receive video footage and documentation, or having them forward it via a third party. This practice has led to criticism, as the raids are sometimes violent and may involve the destruction of property, and there has been one allegation that PETA may have had advance knowledge of an attack. In 1995, during the trial of ALF activist Rod Coronado for an arson attack on Michigan State University , U.S. Attorney Michael Dettmer alleged in a sentencing memorandum that Ingrid Newkirk had arranged, "days before the MSU arson occurred," to have Coronado send her documents from the lab and a videotape of the raid.Government Sentencing Memorandum of U.S. Attorney Michael Dettmer in USA v. Rodney Coronado, July 31, 1995, pp. 8–10. in a restraint tube filmed by PETA in Many of PETA's investigations have led to legal action against the target companies. PETA conducted an undercover investigation of ]. (videos) According to PETA's website, Covance was subsequently fined for violations of the U.S. Animal Welfare Act based on PETA's documentation. However, Covance was cleared of lab maltreatment charges in Germany, where the incident was filmed; Covance maintains that the footage was edited together to exaggerate evidence. {Link without Title} Researchers working for PETA went undercover into with a view to closing HLS down, a campaign that is still ongoing. In 1990, a Las Vegas entertainer lost his entertainment license, as well as a later lawsuit against PETA, after the group filmed him beating agreed to stop using animals for classroom experiments after a PETA investigation. '' shows researchers' footage from a study that involved inflicting brain damage on Baboon s.]]
PETA was criticized by the OPRR for having edited the film in a misleading way. Twenty-five errors were identified in Newkirk's voiceover, including a scene where she described an accidental liquid spill over a conscious baboon as an acid spill, with no evidence to suggest it was anything but water. The film also gave the impression that a scene involving the hydraulic equipment smashing against a baboon's head represented several baboons being damaged, whereas subsequent examination of the 60 hours of original footage showed that the same scene had been constantly repeated.Sideris, Lisa; McCarthy, Charles & Smith, David H. "Roots of Concern with Nonhuman Animals in Biomedical Ethics" , ''Bioethics of Laboratory Animal Research'', Institute for Laboratory Animal Research (ILAR) Journal V40 (1) 1999. PETA was also criticized in 1999 regarding undercover film it took inside the Carolina Biological Supply Company, which appeared to show wriggling cats being Embalmed alive. Two veterinarians from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agreed that the cats appeared to have been alive at the time, and the video was introduced as evidence before a departmental hearing. An anatomist called by Carolina Biological's lawyer subsequently demonstrated that the wriggling may have been the effect of Formalin on freshly dead Muscle tissue, which causes muscle fibers to contract and move, and the case against the company was dismissed.Morrison, Adrian R. "Pogo Revisited: Caring about animals and creativity" , National Animal Interest Alliance. Community Animal Project PETA has several programs helping cats and dogs in poorer areas of southeastern Virginia and northern North Carolina. It has Spay ed or Neuter ed over 30,000 cats and dogs for reduced price or for free in the last few years. The organization comes to the aid of neglected dogs and cats who are severely ill and injured, and pursues cruelty cases. They offer free humane euthanasia services to counties that kill unwanted animals via gassing or shooting. PETA also offers free euthanasia for severely ill/dying pets when euthanasia at a veterinarian is unaffordable. PETA paid for and built a cat shelter in a North Carolina county. Each year the organization builds and sets up hundreds of sturdy dog houses, with straw bedding, for dogs that are chained outside all winter. PETA also creates and airs numerous public service announcements and billboards urging people to help control the pet overpopulation through Spaying / Neutering , and adopting animals from shelters instead of purchasing cats and dogs from pet stores or breeders. "Helping Animals in Our Region" , PETA's Community Animal Project Companion Animals FAQs , PETA's position on pets or 'companion animals' Policy on euthanasia PETA is against the provided it is administered by a trained professional. Before founding PETA, Newkirk was chief of animal-disease control and director of the animal shelter in the District Of Columbia . During her time working in animal shelters, she said she would "go to work early, before anyone got there, and I would just kill the animals myself. Because I couldn't stand to let them go through ... workers abusing the animals . I must have killed a thousand of them, sometimes dozens every day."''The New Yorker'', April 14, 2003. The organization says that it takes in Feral Cat colonies with diseases such as Feline AIDS and Leukemia , stray dogs, litters of Parvo -infected puppies, and backyard dogs, and as such it would be unrealistic and unkind to operate a no-kill policy. Newkirk has said: "It is a totally rotten business, but sometimes the only kind option for some animals is to put them to sleep forever."Barakat, Matthew. "PETA Euthanized More Than 1000 Animals Last Year" , ''Associated Press'' According to the Wally Swett, President of Primarily Primates, PETA killed 1,946 pets in its home state of Virginia in 2005, transferring or adopting out 215, and killed 141 wild animals in the same year, transferring or releasing 52. Open Statement from Primarily Primates, Regarding Kermit and the Chimpanzees Formerly the Property of Ohio State University 14 March 2006, , quoting the Center For Consumer Freedom (CCF) data based on PETA's filing with the state of Virginia, has said that PETA killed over 10,000 animals from 1998 to 2003. In 1999, PETA took in 2,103 animals, of which 798 were either found new homes, were reclaimed by their owners or transferred to other facilities, while those remaining were euthanized. PETA VDACS records During the years 2004 and 2005, PETA took in 20258 animals, of which 15438 were reclaimed by their owner. 4224 were euthanized, while 507 were adopted.[http://www.virginia.gov/vdacs_ar/cgi-bin/Vdacs_search.cgi?link_select=facility&form=fac_select&fac_num=157&year=2004 Online Animal Reporting 2004 , Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Online Animal Reporting 2005 , Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' reported in 1991 that after rescuing 18 rabbits and 14 roosters from a research facility, Better dead than fed, PETA says by Debra J. Saunders June 23, 2005 Jan 16, 2006. This was questioned by critics in view of PETA's budget for that year which was over six million dollars. "Must Love Dogs … to Death" — Jeff Perz, ''The Abolitionist Online'' Though PETA denied that such killings violated animal rights, US Congressman Vin Weber — founder of the Congressional Animal Welfare Caucus — doubted PETA's intentions highlighting the double standards employed in Silver Springs monkey case and the Aspin Hill killings. The American Physiological Society The Humane Society of the United States estimates that 3–4 million dogs and cats are euthanized annually in the U.S. for a lack of homes. “HSUS Pet Overpopulation Estimates” , PETA and other animal protection groups blame people who don’t spay and neuter their animals, and people who buy animals from breeders instead of adopting from shelters, for causing the animal overpopulation crisis. “Spay/Neuter Immediately” , “HelpingAnimals.com” Animal euthanasia and criminal charges PETA was criticized in 2005 when police discovered that at least 80 animals had been euthanized and left in area dumpsters over the course of a month. Two PETA employees approached a dumpster in a van registered to PETA and left behind 18 dead animals. Thirteen more were found inside the van. The animals had been euthanized by the PETA employees immediately after taking them from shelters in Northampton and Bertie counties. Better dead than fed, PETA says — Debra J. Saunders, San Francisco Chronicle In a 2005 column in the San Francisco Chronicle, PETA’s director of the Domestic Animals Issues stated that PETA began euthanizing animals in some rural North Carolina shelters via painless injection after it found that the shelters were killing unwanted animals with rifles and dilapidated gas chambers, both of which they claim are inhumane ways to kill animals. “The Dilemma of the Unwanted” San Francisco Chronicle, June 30, 2005. Officials from both counties said they were under the impression that the animals would be euthanized only if a home could not be found for them, and after being fully evaluated by a veterinarian. Both counties suspended their agreements with PETA after the incident. "Nhamp. suspends PETA agreement" — Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald Among the bodies in the dumpster were a cat and two of her kittens, given to PETA by veterinarian Patrick Proctor of Ahoskie Animal Hospital. According to Proctor, the two kittens were very adoptable, and he said the PETA employees claimed they would have no trouble finding homes for them. "PETA looks bad after two arrests" — Gene Mueller, The Washington Times, June 22, 2005 CNN transcript of Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees Movement Watch Special Edition, Summer 2006 — Friends of Animals In an interview with CNN, Ingrid Newkirk said that Proctor — who himself carries out euthanasia on behalf of PETA — was not present when the kittens were removed and was therefore not in a position to know what PETA's employees had said. Newkirk added that it was unlikely the employees said they could find homes for the animals, given that the veterinarian's assistant handed the animals to PETA precisely because she knew homes could not be found. "If the veterinarian couldn't find homes for a few kittens and a cat, which is surprising, if they have clients coming in, then that's why they called us, because they know we don't have a magic wand either," Newkirk told CNN. PETA condemned the dumping as against their policy, and suspended one of the employees involved for 90 days. Police charged the two employees with 31 felony counts of animal cruelty and eight misdemeanor counts of illegal disposal of dead animals. ''PETA Employees Face 31 Felony Animal-Cruelty Charges for Killing, Dumping Dogs'' , ''Lincoln Tribune''. In October, these charges were dropped, and replaced with 42 combined counts of animal cruelty, and 3 counts of "obtaining property under false pretense". PeTA's Hinkle and Cook: Indicted on New Charges Photocopies of trial charges In the trial, which began on January 22, 2007, "Jurors in PETA trial include slaughterhouse workers" , Associated Press, January 24, 2007. both workers were acquitted of all charges, including animal cruelty charges, except a misdemeanor count for improper disposing of the euthanized animals. [http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=6031689&nav=menu45_2] In May 2007, the United States , 2007 According to the DEA, PETA could face fines or sanctions against its license if it finds any wrongdoing, while gross mishandling of drugs could lead to criminal charges. Conflicts with other activists PETA has been the target of criticism by other animal rights advocates. John "J.P." Goodwin, founder of the ''Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade'', argues that some of PETA's campaigns are detrimental to the credibility of the animal rights movement: "some people have positioned the movement as flaky, based on silly claims and goofy stunts. It's time to say no to pie throwing, manure dumping, and naked models, and get back to talking about animals." PETA's "I'd rather go naked than wear fur" campaign has generated criticism from feminists for objectifying the female body. In response to an ad campaign in which , a prominent feminist and animal rights advocate, objected to PETA's campaign saying "I don't liberate animals over the bodies of women" and "I think the further insult was the celebration of PETA's alliance with Playboy by having a jointly sponsored event last summer, at which Patti Davis was featured. I'm glad she gave some of her money to PETA. But like Catharine MacKinnon, I'm not sure reparations money is the way we go about changing the status of women. I abhor the alliance of any animal advocacy with pornography." "Do Feminists Need to Liberate Animals, Too?" , On the issues: Dialogue, Spring 1995. Conflicts with wildlife conservation personalities PETA is critical of those they call "self-professed wildlife warriors", television personalities such as Bruce Scott who told his federal parliament that PETA should apologise to Steve Irwin's family and the rest of Australia. PETA renews attack on Irwin , retrieved September 15, 2006 Position on animal testing In 2005, a coalition of advocates for AIDS patients launched a campaign assailing PETA for its opposition to using animals to test possible AIDS drugs and calling on PETA's celebrity supporters to account for their high-profile role in what they described as "hindering the search for a cure to AIDS." AIDS Activists Target Charlize Theron & PeTA PRNewswire — September 8, 2005 PETA vice-president Dan Mathews responded that: "AIDS is an easy disease to avoid, but our government squanders millions on duplicative animal tests, rather than issue frank warnings, especially to young people." Dr. Genevieve Clavreul, the coalition's organizer, expressed concern that in order to find an AIDS vaccine "We are going to have to go to an animal model to do it and I don’t want to have to be fighting every five minutes against PETA." AIDS Coalition Clashes with Animal Rights Activists by Erin Cassin, ''The New Standard'', September 20, 2005 In a letter, the Patient Advocates Against PETA, observed that PETA President Ingrid Newkirk made a statement that even if animal research produced a cure for AIDS, "we'd be against it." In 2006, Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority ruled that PETA misrepresented both animal test and the science behind animal experiments, ordering it to stop making the misleading claims and rewrite one of its publications. PETA had claimed that “nearly 3 million sensitive animals—monkeys, rabbits, mice and others—are killed in the UK each year in painful experiments” and that “animal experiments are crude and unreliable.” The ASA ruled that animals used in laboratories may suffer in experiments, but that PETA had failed to document that nearly 3 million died “as a result of painful experiments.”[http://www.cgfi.org/cgficommentary/uk-says-animal-rights-activists-misrepresented-claims UK Says Animal Rights Activists Misrepresented Claims April 4 , 2006 ] PETA supports Embryonic Stem Cell research because it has "the potential to end the vast majority of animal testing". However, their position has been criticised as being contradictory to their belief all species are equal, since it puts one animal species (humans) to be "preferentially sacrificed to save another"; i.e. that PETA exalts "animal life in trivial ways, while simultaneously devaluing human life to the point where it’s worthless." PETA: Sacrifice Human, Not Animal Life for Medical Research, July 20, 2006 By Steven Milloy Finance PETA received donations from the public of over $25 million for the year ending notes that others holding Vice President of Campaigns posts like Dan Matthews et al. were drawing Remuneration s up to $72,488. Charity Rating There have also been criticism over PETA's finances, with many questioning its nonprofit, tax exempt status, because its "leaders and personnel have been involved in criminal activities", according to the foundation has also pointed to these terrorist links by showing tax return claims for funding terrorist organizations. Exhibit5 "PETA Tax Return Claiming Grant to Terrorist Organization", Exhibit 11 "PETA gives over $70,000 to ALF member after burning down Michigan State Research Lab" Steven P Kendall, Vice President, Animal Husbandry Society, also corraborates this, stating that the majority of the donations are spent on fundraising, administrative costs and salariesA Tiger Among the Jungle By Steven P Kendall, 2004, Trafford Publishing, ISBN 1-4120-3385-3, pp 42–43 The BBB Wise Giving Alliance in its evaluation of PETA observed that it does not meet a couple of Charity Accountability standards. Give.org — PETA, Evaluation Conclusions states that Standard 2 and Standard 17 were not met. OTHER CAMPAIGNS Anti-fur campaigns Two long-running campaigns are "Here's the rest of your fur coat," and "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur," in which Supermodel s appeared nude to express their opposition to wearing Fur . Singers Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Shirley Manson have posed for this cause. In May 2006, they held a naked protest near St Paul's Cathedral in London to highlight the use of real bear fur in the Bearskin s used by the Foot Guards .[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/5002082.stm PETA severed its relationship with some of the models when they continued to wear fur. In 1997, Naomi Campbell wore a fur coat during a Milan fashion show after appearing in a 'Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur' advertisement.Tran, Mark. "Animal rights group fires model who wore fur at fashion show," ''The Guardian'', March 12, 1997. Other models PETA has ended its relationship with are Kate Moss and Cindy Crawford ."Naked truth is Crawford likes to wear fur to work," ''The Evening Standard'', March 7, 2002. PETA has held notable public protests in London and Hong Kong against Burberry 's use of fur in some of its products.1 Lettuce Ladies The 'Lettuce Ladies' are women, some of them Boys. {Link without Title} Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) See Also: Kentucky Fried Cruelty.com PETA has a major campaign targeting , Burger King , and Wendy's . Circuses in a ''Boycott the circus'' advertisement]] The group regularly protests circuses that use animals. The Ringling Bros. And Barnum & Bailey Circus is a frequent target of PETA's allegations of abuse. PETA asked a number of mayors to pass legislation banning items used to train elephants from cities the circus was due to visit. In one specific case, PETA asked that " Bullhooks , Electric Prods and other devices that inflict pain on, or cause injury to, Elephants " be banned, after the animal care director of the Carson & Barnes Circus, Tim Frisco, was filmed allegedly attacking elephants with bullhooks and electric prods. "Carson & Barnes Trainer Videotaped Beating, Shocking Elephants" , PETA Media Center, July 6, 2006. PETA's videotape of one of Frisco's training sessions allegedly shows him attacking elephants with steel-tipped bullhooks, shocking them with electric prods, and shouting "Make 'em scream!" The elephants are shown screaming and recoiling in pain, according to PETA. PETA undercover video of Tim Frisco, animal care director of the Carson & Barnes Circus, training elephants , ''PETAtv.com''. (video) Comedian and civil rights activist Dick Gregory recorded a public service announcement, urging people to boycott circuses that use animals in what he calls "modern-day slavery." "Dick Gregory Takes on KFC" , ''Kentuckyfriedcruelty.com''. In response to PETA's request, Mayor Rod DesJardins of (pictured). Religious compassion In its www.jesusveg.com Web site, PETA makes an argument that Christian values of compassion extend to all living creatures and are inconsistent with cruelty to animals. It then promotes vegetarianism based on that argument. PETA's www.jesusveg.com Web site retrieved August 13, 2006 It has a Hadith to justify veganism. Name changes of cities PETA regularly asks towns and cities whose names in its view are suggestive of animal exploitation to change their names. In April 2003, they offered free veggie burgers to the city of Hamburg, New York , in exchange for changing its name to ''Veggieburg''; the town declined the offer. PETA also campaigned in 1996 to have the town of Fishkill, New York , change its name, claiming the name suggests cruelty to fish. (The root "kill", found in many New York town names, is Dutch for "creek".) In October 2003, the group urged the town of Rodeo, California , to change its name because it invokes images of the sport of Rodeo , which they claim is harmful to animals. As a replacement name, they suggested Unity, an acknowledgment of Union Oil's role in saving the area economically in the late 19th century. PETA offered to donate $20,000 worth of Veggie Burger s to local schools if the name was changed. The town declined. Youth outreach on the cover of PETA's ''Grrr!'' Magazine]] The group runs a website geared towards children at ''Petakids.com'' Petakids.com with contests, online games, online videos, comics, songs that are supportive of PETA's causes, and a free subscription to Grrr! Magazine , over 500,000 copies of which were distributed in 2005. Financial reports , PETA, retrieved August 12, 2006. The website also provides an e-News list. Petakids e-News PETA also runs a website dedicated teens/young adults at peta2.com with most of the same features. Peta2 also includes an online message forum dedicated to linking activists together, and to offer help/advice for those new to the vegan lifestyle. PETA teamed up with bands such as Deftones , STUN, and Further Seems Forever to record commercials on a variety of topics, including reporting animal abuse. The youth-oriented web site Peta2.com featured over 50 interviews from bands such as Yellowcard , The Shins , The Used , and Good Charlotte . PETA’s efforts were covered by MTV , '' Rolling Stone '', AP , and '' Revolver ''. PETA2 dispatched supporters on 61 summer concert and skateboard tours including the Warped , Phish , Taste Of Chaos , and Morrissey tours. At these events, PETA screened the '' Meet Your Meat '' video and disseminated information. Animal Liberation Project The 2005 "Are Animals the New Slaves?" campaign "Are Animals the New Slaves?" , PETA's Animal Liberation Project. featured a display in which images of oppressed minorities, including . The campaign was criticized by the National Association For The Advancement Of Colored People , and PETA agreed to suspend it. [http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1034920&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312 Graphic pamphlets The organization has been criticized for distributing graphic pamphlets to children. According to PETA's website,2 the pamphlets are geared toward making parents aware of how their actions affect their children. One pamphlet, "Your Daddy Kills Animals!"3 showed a cartoon father gutting a fish, and stated: "Since your daddy is teaching you the wrong lessons about right and wrong, you should teach him fishing is killing. Until your daddy learns it's not fun to kill, keep your doggies and kitties away from him. He's so hooked on killing defenseless animals, they could be next." Another pamphlet, addressing the wearing of fur, was headlined " Your Mommy Kills Animals "4, and featured a cartoon of a mother slicing a knife into a rabbit's stomach. This comic was the inspiration for the naming of a 2007 documentary film about PETA entitled Your Mommy Kills Animals . Dairy campaigns As part of an effort to reduce milk consumption, PETA created the "Got Beer?" campaign, a parody of the Got Milk? campaign. The advertisements urged college students to "wipe off those milk moustaches and replace them with. . . foam." Mothers Against Drunk Driving and college officials of campuses targeted by the campaign complained that the campaign encouraged Underage Drinking . As a result of the criticism, PETA halted the campaign in March 2000.5 In 2002, the effort to promote beer over milk was revived by PETA after a two year hiatus.6 Following the removal of the beer campaign, PETA launched a new effort aimed at teenagers. The new campaign attempted to place advertisements in highschool newspapers and printed trading cards claiming that dairy products caused Acne , Obesity , Heart Disease , Cancer , and Stroke s.7 A similar campaign in the UK was ordered by the Advertising Standards Authority to discontinue claims it made about milk consumption in a campaign aimed at school children, concluding that the campaign "played on children's anxieties and were likely to cause some children undue fear and distress" and that the claims regarding supposed health risks "were unacceptable", and not directly supported by the cited articles. 8 Following the injunction, PETA revamped their trading cards in order to continue the effort.9 Their website www.milksucks.com though, still makes the same claims regarding adverse health effects. Running of the Nudes See Also: Running of the Nudes Every year, naked PETA activists, wearing red scarves and bull horns, take to the streets of Pamplona two days before the city's annual " Running Of The Bulls " in protest at the tradition, which sees bulls goaded by the crowd. Over 1,000 activists took part in 2006. Runningofthenudes.com (video) Michael Vick |
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