dawkinswatch / cc Sharp-eyed PETA intern Elijah spotted a couple of recent news stories that show (once again) how much we have in common with our primate cousins—monkeys, in this case. First came word that cotton-top tamarin monkeys can “acquire an affixation rule that shares important properties with our inflectional morphology.” Gotta love scientific jargon, … Read more »
thehollywoodgossip / cc There’s no doubt that Survivor alumni Ethan Zohn and Jenna Morasca know how to make the best of a tough situation. Not even the diagnosis of Ethan’s cancer has been able to keep this couple down! When Ethan was diagnosed with CD20-positive Hodgkin’s lymphoma earlier this year, he let the world know … Read more »
rd / CC Back in May, we told you that a bill was under consideration in Bolivia to ban all animals from circuses—and that bill was recently made law! With the passage of law number 4040 by Bolivian President Evo Morales, the day has finally arrived when “It is forbidden to use wild and/or domestic … Read more »
Bristol-based graffiti artist Banksy‘s latest exhibit, “Banksy v Bristol Museum,” is a guerilla-style installation at Bristol’s City Museum and Art Gallery and features several … well … creative replacements for many of the museum’s artifacts. When the lion gets revenge. It’s great to see Banksy continue to explore the theme of human/animal interactions, … Read more »
thesun.co / CC Natascha Kampusch made headlines around the world when she was finally able to escape her kidnapper after being held for eight years in a dungeon in Austria. “I suffered from claustrophobia and I thought I was going crazy in there,” Kampusch told Austria’s ORF television after her escape. “I was very distraught … Read more »
Last month, the Newmarket Council in Ontario voted to deny a permit to the Shrine Circus for performances that were scheduled to take place at Ray Twinney Recreation Complex on June 17 and 18 because of safety and other concerns. Unfortunately, the circus promoter decided to challenge the council’s vote. But all is not lost. … Read more »
helpelephants / CC When we heard that during a recent USDA inspection of Maximus Tons of Fun LLC—an elephant act performing with Shrine Circuses—inspectors found that Tina, Jewel, and Boo, three elephants traveling with Maximus Tons of Fun, have lost a combined 1,280 pounds over the last year, we were outraged. While dropping some pounds … Read more »
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s show time. We have a new video to add to our list of hard hitters—our “To Animals, It’s Not Entertainment” video, which takes you behind the razzle-dazzle of the entertainment industry to let you witness the routine abuses that animals suffer in circuses and on film sets—abuses such as frequent beatings … Read more »
parallax-view / CC A: The Wrestler director Darren Aronofsky! That’s right, the man best known for his portrayal of human suffering in movies such as the award-winning The Wrestler is now focusing on a different type of suffering … elephant suffering. As a Brooklyn native, when Darren learned that notorious elephant abuser Ringling Bros. and … Read more »
nowilaymedowntosleep / CC This morning, PETA Vice President Dan Mathews appeared on the Today show to talk about the court case involving Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Alert PETA Files readers will recall that Ringling has been sued by a coalition of animal protection groups over what they allege are violations of … Read more »
photo / CC Oh, how I’m dreaming of retiring at the ripe old age of 26 and setting up shop in South America. And no, it’s not just because the weather is warmer and the mojitos are stiffer. Bolivia—yep, the same Bolivia that banned military training exercises on animals a month ago—recently passed a … Read more »
Wow! Shepard Smith of The Fox Report went on a rant about how Americans will not tolerate torture, declaring, “We are America. We don’t torture. And the moment that is not the case, I want off the train.” I’d like to believe that he was speaking out against the abuse of elephants in circuses, who … Read more »
What do the tigers say when Ringling’s trainers get too close? Let us prey. Zing! Well, this week, PETA’s touring “tiger” acted out that devious desire for payback. In Rochester, New York, our “tiger” broke out of his cage and shoved his “ringmaster” in—giving her a taste of her own medicine for our first-ever Tiger’s … Read more »
Yesterday, I found my dog Henry’s “bucket list.” He’s a pretty open guy, so he won’t mind if I share: Get five minutes alone with Michael Vick (that’s on my list too) Play Sandy in a community-theater production of Annie Win the Cutest Mutt Alive contest Catch his tail See his dream of a car … Read more »
i.realone / CC A lot of cool stuff happened to me when I was in college, but, I have to admit, nothing was as cool as what’s happened to an animal rights group at Michigan State University. The MSU group is working hard to push for a permanent circus ban on their campus, and … Read more »
