PETA Latino’s Impact Is Felt Across the U.S. and Latin America—Here Are Some of Its Successes

PETA Latino has achieved major victories for animals in the years since its launch in 2013. As PETA’s outreach division for Spanish-speaking communities in the U.S. and Latin America, the group’s focus is on putting animal rights on the Latino community’s map. PETA Latino’s outreach and its work to champion animal rights have made a huge difference by sharing information with people and encouraging them to have empathy and compassion for animals.

Here are just a few examples of the work PETA Latino has done for animals:

Telecom Platform Stops Airing Bullfighting After PETA Latino Supporters Speak Out

Movistar Plus+—a major subscription platform for digital television in Spain and Latin America—announced that it would no longer air bullfights on its Toros channel. The announcement comes after animal defenders sent thousands of e-mails to Telefónica, which owns the platform, and more than 800 animal protection groups from around the world, including PETA Latino, fired off a letter to its president, urging him to reject any plans to air the ritualistic killing of bulls.

PETA and PETA Latino Investigation Helps End Monkey Experiments in Colombian Lab

Following an 18-month investigation by PETA and PETA Latino, the Colombian environmental agency Corporación Autónoma Regional del Valle del Cauca (CVC) ordered the couple responsible for a nightmare of a laboratory to end all experiments on monkeys and announced its intent to seize the animals suffering there. After we made our findings public, the lab, which is funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, was inspected by the CVC. This agency found unmitigated suffering, including the filthy, apparently illegal conditions that we first exposed as well as the unexplained disappearances of 21 monkeys.

PETA Latino Helps End Public Wildlife Exhibitions in Quintana Roo, Mexico

Thanks to PETA Latino’s work with local animal rights group Animal Heroes, letters from celebrities and experts, and 50,000 petition signatures, the Mexican state of Quintana Roo banned wildlife exhibitions in public areas. The victory garnered tons of media coverage, bringing worldwide attention to the issues that come with using wildlife for entertainment.

PETA Latino’s Supporters Stand Up for Sheep on Retailer’s Mexico Instagram Account

As part of a PETA-wide campaign to persuade Forever 21 to drop wool, PETA Latino has given the company’s Mexico Instagram account a run for its money. The group and its supporters inundated the account’s posts with #DropTheWool comments, forcing the brand to disable comments for several years.

Millions Take Action for Lolita the Orca, Thanks to PETA Latino’s Efforts

PETA Latino gathered over half a million signatures, worked with important Latine celebrities, and hosted countless demonstrations in behalf of Lolita, an orca who has been held captive at the Miami Seaquarium for more than five decades. As a result of persistent action, she is no longer forced to perform, and the group will continue working to have her released into a reputable sanctuary.

First PETA Latino Demonstrations Take Place in Colombia

PETA Latino’s first-ever demonstrations in Colombia were a tremendous success. In addition to receiving local media coverage, the group reached 3.5 million people in the country on Facebook—7% of the population—following the demonstrations.

Amid the War in Ukraine, PETA Latino Helps Mexican Citizens Return Home With Their Animal Companions

After reading in the news that the Mexican government wouldn’t include animal companions in its evacuation plans from Ukraine, PETA Latino sent a letter to Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Luis Ebrard Casaubón asking that the government reconsider. Not long after the letter was published in several well-respected media outlets, the government announced that Mexican citizens could bring their animal companions with them.

Thousands Sign PETA Latino’s Petition for Dogs Confined to Roofs

PETA Latino’s campaign for dogs confined to rooftops has given community members guidance on what actions to take if they witness this scenario as well as information on the dangers of leaving dogs outside and how important it is for them to be taken inside and cared for as a member of the family. Thousands have pledged never to leave their dogs outdoors.

Quintana Roo Leads The Way For Animal Rights

Thanks to lobbying on the ground by Animal Heroes and other local animal protection groups as well as a petition signed by many of PETA Latino’s supporters, the governor of Quintana Roo signed into law a ban on cockfights and bullfights in 2019. As a result of this legislation, bulls, dogs, roosters, and other animals will no longer be chained, caged, beaten, drugged, or fought to the death in the state.

Cancún Spay-a-Thon Clinics Help Sterilize More Than 1,500 Dogs and Cats

Since April 2021, PETA Latino has sponsored eight spay/neuter clinics in the vicinity of Cancún, Mexico (including one in a rural village 2.5 hours outside the city), and completed its ninth in early February. At the latest event held earlier this year, PETA Latino spayed or neutered more than 200 animal companions over a weekend, bringing the total number of animals who have been sterilized to more than 1,700, all at no cost. Attendees received complimentary cruelty-free meals and goodies, vegan starter kits, and a Spanish translation of Ingrid Newkirk’s book A World of Love for Animals.

PETA Latino’s Celebrity Campaigns Make an Impact

PETA Latino has worked with many celebrities to promote animal rights campaigns, including Andrea Meza, Ana Bárbara, Sherlyn, Kate del Castillo, Jesse & Joy, George Lopez, and Miguel Bernardeau. They’ve all attracted attention from the media and had a major impact on animals’ lives by reaching thousands of their followers and teaching them about having empathy and compassion for animals.

PETA Latino Supporters Take to the Streets for Sheep Used for Their Wool

In 2019, PETA Latino and its supporters took to the streets in Mexico City and Bogotá, Colombia, to urge Forever 21 to stop selling wool. The campaign and its related demonstrations attracted tons of media coverage, helping to make many aware of how sheep are exploited for their wool.

PETA Latino Hosts Vegan Nochebuena Giveaways

For several years, PETA Latino has hosted vegan Nochebuena giveaways on the biggest Latine holiday of the year on the streets of major cities such as Bogotá, Chicago, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Miami, and Phoenix. Passersby enjoyed a gift of delicious vegan meats and were encouraged to choose animal-friendly options for their Nochebuena dinner table, and thousands of signatures were collected.

#FrasesProhibidasPorPETA Is a Top Trending Topic on Twitter

On Twitter, #FrasesProhibidasPorPETA was a top trending topic in Mexico. PETA Latino encouraged Spanish speakers to ditch speciesist phrases that normalize violence in favor of kinder language.

Impactful Billboards Spark Conversation in Mexico

PETA Latino put up a billboard in Monterrey, the most industrial city in Mexico, asking kids not to eat pigs for Christmas, just as they wouldn’t eat their dogs. The ad generated massive discussion after some people asked the governor of the state to take it down.

Another PETA Latino billboard in southern Mexico showed support for the Maya communities fighting against industrial farms that threaten their water and soil.

PETA Latino Recognizes Activists’ Work for Animals

Recognizing the actions of activists and others who make a difference for animals is an important part of PETA Latino’s work. Awards have been given to individuals such as Hilario Aguilar, who rescued a dog from a mountaintop, and Andrea Padilla, a Colombian senator dedicated to animal rights.

Mexican Federal Judge Temporarily Bans Bullfighting in Mexico City

A Mexican federal judge issued an injunction temporarily banning barbaric and bloody bullfighting in Mexico City, where the world’s largest bullfighting arena is located—another step toward a total ban throughout the country.

Want to keep up with PETA Latino’s vital work as well as help animals? Join the PETA Latino Activist Network and e-mail newsletter list to receive information about how to get involved in your community, along with breaking news, alerts for urgent action, and more:

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