I can’t bear to look at some of the graphic photos you use. Can’t you tone it down a little?

There are several reasons we publicize photos taken from inside laboratories, factory farms, and other facilities. First, many people simply do not want to believe the extent of animal abuse occurring in our society. The old adage about a picture being worth a thousand words is particularly true in the case of cruelty to animals. Second, with visual evidence of such abuses, we can easily counter the claims of exaggeration made by the industries responsible for these abuses. Additionally, the photos and written materials included in our mailings are intended to make people angry enough to want to act. Anger plays an important role in motivating people to sit down and write letters to their lawmakers, newspapers, or local authorities demanding an end to animal abuse. Please, try not to blame the “messenger.” Hiding the cruelty from people who truly care enough to make a difference doesn’t make these terrible things go away. We urge you to direct your anger at those who are truly deserving of it—the perpetrators of these hideous crimes.

Remember, as disturbing as it is to see this abuse, we only have to look at the pictures—the animals have to live it. They will have truly died in vain if they die without anyone documenting their suffering and shouting the injustice of it to the world. The animals are counting on us to do all we can to publicize their plight and motivate others to help them. If the photos really are too much for you, please consider passing our literature on to others who need such proof. Give PETA literature to your local library, put it on a table in the lunchroom at work, or leave it in the free literature stacks at a local bookstore, health food store, or college campus center.