Noah Cyrus Tells Teens: #DissectionKills

15-Year-Old Goes Gory for New peta2 Ad: ‘I Am Not a Classroom Experiment’

For Immediate Release:
April 8, 2015

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

It’s like something out of a horror movie: Noah Cyrus is cut open, her skin is peeled back, and her organs are on display. For this 15-year-old model, it’s just her eye-popping “look” in her new campaign for peta2, PETA’s youth division—but for millions of animals every year, it’s exactly what happens on school laboratory tables. That’s why Noah was eager to star in the ad, available here, which proclaims, “I Am Not a Classroom Experiment. Neither Are Cats, Frogs, Rats, Pigs, or Other Animals Killed for Dissection. #DissectionKills.”

In an interview with peta2, Noah explains, “Because I love all animals so much, people … should realize they don’t have to cut into something to learn about it.” That’s why she encourages everyone to ask for digital dissection exercises instead. “You should ask your teacher for other humane alternatives. … You’ll learn so much more off of the computer. If you have the other option, why not take it?”

Every year, more than 10 million animals are dissected in secondary school and college science classes. Most of them come from biological supply houses that sell cats obtained from animal shelters, fetal piglets cut from the wombs of pigs killed in slaughterhouses, and frogs who are taken from the wild—a practice that wreaks havoc on local ecosystems. Studies have repeatedly shown that virtual dissection is more effective in teaching biology than cutting up dead animals.

peta2—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”—works with teens across the country to get dissection-choice policies enacted at their schools.

A current face of Mudd clothing, Noah is also known for her film voiceover work and her appearances alongside big sister Miley on Hannah Montana. She’s part of a long list of celebrities—including her brother Trace Cyrus as well as Lea Michele, Sarah Hyland, Kellan Lutz, Jhené Aiko, and P!nk—who’ve teamed up with peta2 to promote kindness toward animals. The ad was shot by acclaimed celebrity photographer Robert Sebree.

For more information, please visit peta2.com.