October 2007 Gilchrist County Animal Control in Florida called PETA asking for help getting a dog weight-pulling event canceled at The Hitching Post bar in Trenton. Sadly, laws do not protect animals from being forced to participate in these types of events, which often serve as networking opportunities for dogfighters. After animal control officers told the … Read more »
October 2007 After receiving a complaint about goldfish giveaways at the annual community festival sponsored by the Circleville Volunteer Fire Department in North Huntington, Pennsylvania, PETA wrote a letter detailing the cruelty of giving away animals. Chief Hinish agreed to prohibit animal giveaways at future festivals, admitting that animals are not trinkets and that bringing a … Read more »
July 2007 On Friday, July 27, 2007, PETA sent out a dozen news releases announcing demonstrations the following Monday outside every Niketown storefront in the United States–from Los Angeles to New York City to Boston to Atlanta. PETA had already protested outside Niketown’s New York City store, and PETA activists had flooded Nike with calls and … Read more »
July 2007 Following years of campaigning, a milestone was reached for animals when Louisiana joined the other 49 U.S. states in acknowledging that the cruel “sport” of cockfighting has no place in civilized society and passed a bill to ban it. Roosters used in cockfights are fitted with sharp razors called gaffes that tear through flesh … Read more »
July 2007 After three chickens were thrown onto the court at a KSU basketball game and at least two were killed, PETA contacted the university president and asked him to ban the use of live animals at all events and to enforce that ban rigorously. KSU responded by releasing an open letter to all its fans, … Read more »
July 2007 After learning that a promotional stunt for the Los Angeles Pink Taco restaurant featured a live donkey whose entire body was painted pink and who was paraded around on busy sidewalks in the hot summer sun, PETA sent a letter to the chain’s owner, Harry Morton, pointing out the cruelty involved and asking him … Read more »
July 2007 After the president of Country USA – an annual music festival in Oshkosh, Wisconsin – heard from PETA that live goldfish were given away by a carnival booth at the 2006 event, he let the vendor know in no uncertain terms that live animal giveaways would not be tolerated: “It has come to my … Read more »
After learning that Pennsylvania’s Delaware County Wage Peace and Justice organization planned to release “doves” for a special event’s opening ceremony in September 2007, PETA got on the phone with the organizers and asked them to replace the dove release with an animal-free alternative, such as using dove-shaped kites. The birds used for “dove releases” … Read more »
July 2007 After learning that a carnival game vendor notorious for handing out live animals – such as rabbits – as prizes to fair attendees was to be at the Delta Fair and Music Festival in Memphis, Tennessee, PETA contacted the fair’s owner, Mark Lovell. We explained that giving away animals at such an event to … Read more »
July 2007 AIDS Walk New York, a 45,000-person event held annually in New York City’s Central Park, is the largest AIDS fundraiser in the world. Organizers contacted PETA to ask about a planned release of live doves. We let them know about the risks that these domesticated birds face – including predation, exposure, and becoming lost … Read more »
April 2007 PETA received reports about a macaw display at a Colorado lodge owned by Sage Hospitality Resources. The macaw allegedly was neglected and had sustained injuries. We contacted the company to ask it to discontinue the display and place the bird, Coco, in a loving home. Not only did the company acquiesce to our request, … Read more »
April 2007 When PETA learned that Coral Springs Charter School in Coral Springs, Florida, was planning a “Kiss the Pig” contest, we immediately contacted the school and requested that it replace the event with a humane alternative. Not long afterward, we received word from students that the live pig had been replaced with a teacher dressed … Read more »
January 2007 When PETA discovered that Sam Mazzola, who is notorious for his hideous bear-wrestling events and for allowing customers to take photos of themselves with adult tigers, was scheduled to appear at the Allegheny Sport, Travel, and Outdoor Show in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, last February, we didn’t waste any time contacting the Pennsylvania Game Commission. After … Read more »
January 2007 After the Fairport Harbor, Ohio, Mardi Gras Concessions Committee heard from PETA concerning its use of live rabbits as prizes each year, the committee decided to discontinue the practice. Going a step further, the committee even sent a letter to all vendors who attend the event mandating that tickets redeemable at local pet stores … Read more »
January 2007 When Reedley High School teachers and students contacted PETA about a donkey basketball game scheduled to take place in Reedley, California, we wrote to the superintendent and board of the school district about the cruelty inherent in donkey basketball and asked that the game be replaced with a humane event. Days before the game … Read more »
