petapeoplefortheethicaltreatmentofanimals--2020-06-05--Teaching With Film: ‘The Game Changers’ Discussion Questions

Tell your students to forget everything they thought they knew about eating meat .
From Academy Award winners James Cameron and Louie Psihoyos , director of The Cove , comes a film that turns the biggest and longest-held meat myth on its head .
The Game Changers chronicles “ a quest for the truth ” that ultimately became “ a shocking exposé of the world ’ s most dangerous myth.
” The film , which is available to stream on Netflix , YouTube , Amazon Prime , and Google Play , follows military combat instructor and former Ultimate Fighting Championship @ @ @ @ @ @ @ badly injured , he began researching ways he could help his body recover .
His search became a five-year quest that led him to four continents and dozens of the world ’ s top athletes and nutrition experts .
“ What I discovered was so revolutionary , with such profound implications for performance , health , and the future of the planet itself , that I had to share it with the world , ” he says .
Among the experts Wilks meets are Arnold Schwarzenegger , two-time World Surfing Champion Tia Blanco @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , former president of the American College of Cardiology Dr. Kim Williams , founder of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute Dr. Dean Ornish , and several members of the Miami Dolphins football team .
They all agree that meat , egg , and dairy consumption is a barrier to optimal health .
View this documentary as a class , then use the discussion questions below to help students understand the information and examine the ideas presented .
( If you ’ re teaching virtually , you can use online tools such as Netflix @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and group chat , to watch the film with your students online .
Or you can have students watch the film independently and then discuss their responses to the questions as a class using popular online conferencing tools like Zoom or Skype .
If these tools aren ’ t available to you , you could have students chat about the film and the discussion questions in an online forum , such as Google Classroom . )
Depending on the needs and abilities of your students , you may wish to pause the film @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or have students respond to them in writing after watching the film .
You can use this activity to address these Common Core Standards in speaking and listening : • Grades 9–10 • CCSSELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.D Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives , summarize points of agreement and disagreement , and , when warranted , qualify or justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented .
• CCSSELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.3 Evaluate a speaker ’ s point of view , reasoning , and use of evidence and rhetoric , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distorted evidence .
• Grades 11–12 • ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.D Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives ; synthesize comments , claims , and evidence made on all sides of an issue ; resolve contradictions when possible ; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task .
• ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.3 Evaluate a speaker ’ s point of view , reasoning , and use of evidence and rhetoric , assessing the stance , premises , links among ideas , word choice , points of emphasis , and tone used .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ into a health class unit on nutrition .
Important note : The Game Changers is not rated , but be aware that it contains some profanity .
During one segment of the film , the effect of vegan eating on men ’ s erections is discussed .
This segment may not be suitable for all ages .
We advise using your professional judgment in determining whether your students are mature enough to view it .
Tell students that the guiding questions for this activity are the following : Should humans eat meat , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ why not ?
They should be prepared to state their positions after watching the film .
1. Who is the narrator of the film ?
Briefly describe his background and what led him to research the effects of vegan eating on athletic performance .
Answer : James Wilks is the narrator .
He is a former mixed martial arts fighter and winner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship who now teaches fighting techniques to government agencies .
After sustaining a sports-related injury , he began researching ways to expedite his recovery and was surprised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ predominantly vegetarian .
This inspired him to continue his research on the effects of vegan eating on athletic performance .
2 .
According to Dr. James Loomis , where does the energy for exercise mainly come from ?
What happens when athletes eat more protein than carbohydrates ?
Answer : Dr. Loomis points out that carbohydrates , not protein , provide the energy for exercise .
When athletes eat more protein than carbohydrates , they develop glycogen depletion , which can result in fatigue and loss of stamina .
3 .
How did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ energy become popularized ?
Answer : In the 1800s , a famous German chemist named Justus von Liebig hypothesized that energy came from animal protein and that “ vegetarians were … incapable of prolonged energy.
” His beliefs were so widely accepted that they even inspired the U.S. Department of Agriculture ’ s first protein recommendations .
By the time his theory was disproved , people around the world had already bought into the idea that meat gave them energy .
4 .
Describe cyclist Dotsie Bausch ’ s training regimen .
Why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a machine ” after making the transition to a plant-based diet ?
Answer : Her training regimen involved cycling up and down mountains six days a week for at least four to five hours a day as well as indoor track sessions and cross-training sessions at the gym .
She says she became “ like a machine ” after starting to eat plant-based because she nearly doubled the amount of weight she could move on the inverted leg sled .
Dotsie hung out with PETA to read through some “ mean tweets ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vegan : 5 .
Is plant-based protein inferior in quality to animal protein ?
Why or why not ?
Answer : No .
All proteins are composed of strings of amino acids .
The ones that the human body can ’ t produce are called essential amino acids , and humans must get them from food .
All plants contain varying levels of all the essential amino acids , and the most important thing is to consume the appropriate amount .
Students can learn more about vegan protein here and here .
6 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fight end ?
How did this change McGregor ’ s perspective on his way of eating ?
Answer : Diaz , who was on a plant-based diet , won the fight , even though Vegas oddsmakers predicted otherwise .
After the fight , McGregor , who was a big meat-eater , admitted that his diet ultimately failed him .
7 .
What did Dr. Robert Vogel ’ s experiment show in each of his test subjects ’ blood samples ?
Answer : The test subjects who ate burritos with meat in them had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allows blood vessels to expand and deliver more oxygen to muscles , resulting in better performance—wasn ’ t functioning properly .
The one who ate burritos with beans and avocado in them had clear plasma , indicating that his endothelium was functioning properly .
8 .
Give two examples from the film of benefits of a vegan lifestyle to people who aren ’ t athletes .
Answer : When James ’ father , who suffered a heart attack , began eating vegan , his health improved .
Similarly , when a group of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many experienced weight loss and saw their cholesterol levels and blood pressure improve .
9 .
What discovery has been made about the foods eaten by early humans ?
What evidence exists to suggest that humans are better adapted to eating mostly plants as opposed to meat ?
Answer : Contrary to popular belief , early humans ate mostly plants .
Humans have longer digestive tracts than carnivores do , allowing us to digest plants that require longer processing time .
Humans lack the ability to produce vitamin C , which is found @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them .
We have trichromatic vision—as opposed to carnivores , who have dichromatic vision—allowing us to see more colors and find fresh ripe fruit .
The human brain requires large amounts of glucose to function properly , and meat is not a good source of this .
And our teeth are square and low-cusped , designed to crush and grind plant matter , not tear flesh apart .
10 .
Where could farmed animals and humans get vitamin B before industrial farming ?
Why is this no longer possible ?
What is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ B , whether they eat animal foods or not ?
Answer : Farmed animals and humans could get B by eating traces of dirt on plant foods or by drinking from rivers or streams .
This is no longer possible because pesticides , antibiotics , and chlorine kill the bacteria that produce it in the soil and waterways .
The best way for humans to get enough B , whether they eat animal foods or not , is to take a supplement .
Students can learn more about the vitamin and find vegan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Does soy raise a person ’ s estrogen levels ?
Why or why not ?
Answer : No .
It contains phytoestrogens , compounds that look like estrogens but can actually have the opposite effect , blocking some of the body ’ s estrogen receptors and preventing real dietary sources of estrogen from taking hold .
Students can learn more about soy and some common myths about it here .
12 .
How did the tobacco industry sell the idea that smoking was healthy ?
How do the meat , egg , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are healthy ?
Answer : The tobacco industry used famous athletes , symbols of strength and health , to sell the idea that smoking was healthy .
It also hired researchers to conduct biased studies touting the benefits of smoking to create confusion among consumers .
The meat , egg , and dairy industries do similar things today with a new generation of athletes and paid experts .
13 .
What realization did Damien Mander , founder of the International Anti-Poaching Foundation , have about animals ?
Answer : He realized that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like rhinos and elephants , but then going home at night to eat other species , like cows , pigs , and chickens .
He says , “ The easiest way to protect other animals is just not to put them in your mouth.
” 14 .
How does animal agriculture negatively affect the environment ?
Answer : Raising animals for food requires a tremendous amount of land and water—not only for the animals themselves but also to grow the food that they eat , which could instead be eaten by humans .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The large amount of animal waste produced on industrial farms also pollutes waterways .
The livestock sector produces more greenhouse-gas emissions than the entire transportation industry combined .
Because The Game Changers is jam-packed with compelling information and inspiring anecdotes , we couldn ’ t cover everything in it with these discussion questions .
So be sure to take some time after finishing the film to discuss key takeaways and lasting impressions as well as what students were surprised to learn , how their perception of vegans has changed , and how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the film in their own lives .
Your students may feel motivated to make significant changes to their eating habits , so provide them with these resources to help them make the switch to a vegan lifestyle in a healthy and informed way , and encourage them to share the resources with their families and friends : • Sign up for PETA ’ s free Vegan Mentor Program , which helps young people ease into a vegan lifestyle by providing one-on-one support from a personal vegan coach .
• Order a free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from recipes and tips on eating out to health information .
• For recipes and information geared toward young people , you can also order PETA ’ s Guide to Going Vegan .
Remind students to consider the guiding questions .
They can use the Building an Argument graphic organizer to develop explanations of their positions and use evidence to support them .
They can discuss their positions and evidence in pairs or small groups and then write persuasive essays laying out the critical features of their arguments .
• Host a “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dennis Yong , in which students commit to going vegan for a month at a time in exchange for a sticker on their “ compassion badge.
” Yong laminates the badges for his students to keep at the end of the year as a reminder of their progress .
He encourages students to discuss their choices with their families to promote understanding and shares tips on finding vegan-friendly meals in restaurants .
As a result , some of his former students have stopped eating animals altogether .
• When students eat vegan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as saving nearly 200 animals ’ lives per year .
Use this debate kit to help them research and discuss the moral implications of eating meat , eggs , and dairy .
• Going vegan can also lessen our impact on the planet .
Use this debate kit to help students research and discuss the harmful effects of animal agriculture on the environment .
• PETA staff members are available to give virtual presentations to your class via Skype , Zoom , or Google Hangout about the benefits of a vegan lifestyle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fill out the form below to request a speaker .
Using movies as part of a lesson plan on animal rights is an entertaining and effective way to keep students engaged from home while also instilling compassion for animals .

Tell your students to forget everything they thought they knew about eating meat. From Academy Award winners James Cameron and Louie Psihoyos, director of The Cove, comes a film that turns the biggest and longest-held meat myth on its head. The Game Changers chronicles “a quest for the truth” that ultimately became “a shocking exposé of the world’s most dangerous myth.”
The film, which is available to stream on Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime, and Google Play, follows military combat instructor and former Ultimate Fighting Championship martial artist James Wilks. After being badly injured, he began researching ways he could help his body recover. His search became a five-year quest that led him to four continents and dozens of the world’s top athletes and nutrition experts. “What I discovered was so revolutionary, with such profound implications for performance, health, and the future of the planet itself, that I had to share it with the world,” he says.
Among the experts Wilks meets are Arnold Schwarzenegger, two-time World Surfing Champion Tia Blanco, world record–holding strength athlete Patrik Baboumian, former president of the American College of Cardiology Dr. Kim Williams, founder of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute Dr. Dean Ornish, and several members of the Miami Dolphins football team. They all agree that meat, egg, and dairy consumption is a barrier to optimal health.
View this documentary as a class, then use the discussion questions below to help students understand the information and examine the ideas presented. (If you’re teaching virtually, you can use online tools such as Netflix Party, which includes synchronized video playback and group chat, to watch the film with your students online. Or you can have students watch the film independently and then discuss their responses to the questions as a class using popular online conferencing tools like Zoom or Skype. If these tools aren’t available to you, you could have students chat about the film and the discussion questions in an online forum, such as Google Classroom.) Depending on the needs and abilities of your students, you may wish to pause the film to discuss the questions as a group or have students respond to them in writing after watching the film. You can use this activity to address these Common Core Standards in speaking and listening:
Grades 9–10 CCSSELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.D
Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented. CCSSELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.3
Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.
Grades 11–12 ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.D
Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task. ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.3
Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.
You could also easily incorporate this activity into a health class unit on nutrition.
Important note: The Game Changers is not rated, but be aware that it contains some profanity. During one segment of the film, the effect of vegan eating on men’s erections is discussed. This segment may not be suitable for all ages. We advise using your professional judgment in determining whether your students are mature enough to view it.
Tell students that the guiding questions for this activity are the following: Should humans eat meat, eggs, or dairy? Why or why not? They should be prepared to state their positions after watching the film.
Discussion Questions
1. Who is the narrator of the film? Briefly describe his background and what led him to research the effects of vegan eating on athletic performance.
Answer: James Wilks is the narrator. He is a former mixed martial arts fighter and winner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship who now teaches fighting techniques to government agencies. After sustaining a sports-related injury, he began researching ways to expedite his recovery and was surprised to learn that the Roman gladiators were predominantly vegetarian. This inspired him to continue his research on the effects of vegan eating on athletic performance.
2. According to Dr. James Loomis, where does the energy for exercise mainly come from? What happens when athletes eat more protein than carbohydrates?
Answer: Dr. Loomis points out that carbohydrates, not protein, provide the energy for exercise. When athletes eat more protein than carbohydrates, they develop glycogen depletion, which can result in fatigue and loss of stamina.
3. How did the false notion that meat gives people energy become popularized?
Answer: In the 1800s, a famous German chemist named Justus von Liebig hypothesized that energy came from animal protein and that “vegetarians were … incapable of prolonged energy.” His beliefs were so widely accepted that they even inspired the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s first protein recommendations. By the time his theory was disproved, people around the world had already bought into the idea that meat gave them energy.
4. Describe cyclist Dotsie Bausch’s training regimen. Why does she say she became “like a machine” after making the transition to a plant-based diet?
Answer: Her training regimen involved cycling up and down mountains six days a week for at least four to five hours a day as well as indoor track sessions and cross-training sessions at the gym. She says she became “like a machine” after starting to eat plant-based because she nearly doubled the amount of weight she could move on the inverted leg sled.
Dotsie hung out with PETA to read through some “mean tweets” and debunk some major myths about going vegan:
5. Is plant-based protein inferior in quality to animal protein? Why or why not?
Answer: No. All proteins are composed of strings of amino acids. The ones that the human body can’t produce are called essential amino acids, and humans must get them from food. All plants contain varying levels of all the essential amino acids, and the most important thing is to consume the appropriate amount. Students can learn more about vegan protein here and here.
6. How did the Conor McGregor/Nate Diaz fight end? How did this change McGregor’s perspective on his way of eating?
Answer: Diaz, who was on a plant-based diet, won the fight, even though Vegas oddsmakers predicted otherwise. After the fight, McGregor, who was a big meat-eater, admitted that his diet ultimately failed him.
7. What did Dr. Robert Vogel’s experiment show in each of his test subjects’ blood samples?
Answer: The test subjects who ate burritos with meat in them had cloudy plasma, indicating that their endothelium—which allows blood vessels to expand and deliver more oxygen to muscles, resulting in better performance—wasn’t functioning properly. The one who ate burritos with beans and avocado in them had clear plasma, indicating that his endothelium was functioning properly.
8. Give two examples from the film of benefits of a vegan lifestyle to people who aren’t athletes.
Answer: When James’ father, who suffered a heart attack, began eating vegan, his health improved. Similarly, when a group of Brooklyn firefighters switched to vegan eating, many experienced weight loss and saw their cholesterol levels and blood pressure improve.
9. What discovery has been made about the foods eaten by early humans? What evidence exists to suggest that humans are better adapted to eating mostly plants as opposed to meat?
Answer: Contrary to popular belief, early humans ate mostly plants. Humans have longer digestive tracts than carnivores do, allowing us to digest plants that require longer processing time. Humans lack the ability to produce vitamin C, which is found in plants, indicating our reliance on them. We have trichromatic vision—as opposed to carnivores, who have dichromatic vision—allowing us to see more colors and find fresh ripe fruit. The human brain requires large amounts of glucose to function properly, and meat is not a good source of this. And our teeth are square and low-cusped, designed to crush and grind plant matter, not tear flesh apart.
10. Where could farmed animals and humans get vitamin B 12 before industrial farming? Why is this no longer possible? What is the best way for humans to get enough B 12 , whether they eat animal foods or not?
Answer: Farmed animals and humans could get B 12 by eating traces of dirt on plant foods or by drinking from rivers or streams. This is no longer possible because pesticides, antibiotics, and chlorine kill the bacteria that produce it in the soil and waterways. The best way for humans to get enough B 12 , whether they eat animal foods or not, is to take a supplement. Students can learn more about the vitamin and find vegan sources of it here.
11. Does soy raise a person’s estrogen levels? Why or why not?
Answer: No. It contains phytoestrogens, compounds that look like estrogens but can actually have the opposite effect, blocking some of the body’s estrogen receptors and preventing real dietary sources of estrogen from taking hold. Students can learn more about soy and some common myths about it here.
12. How did the tobacco industry sell the idea that smoking was healthy? How do the meat, egg, and dairy industries convince people that these foods are healthy?
Answer: The tobacco industry used famous athletes, symbols of strength and health, to sell the idea that smoking was healthy. It also hired researchers to conduct biased studies touting the benefits of smoking to create confusion among consumers. The meat, egg, and dairy industries do similar things today with a new generation of athletes and paid experts.
13. What realization did Damien Mander, founder of the International Anti-Poaching Foundation, have about animals?
Answer: He realized that he was working to protect some species, like rhinos and elephants, but then going home at night to eat other species, like cows, pigs, and chickens. He says, “The easiest way to protect other animals is just not to put them in your mouth.”
14. How does animal agriculture negatively affect the environment?
Answer: Raising animals for food requires a tremendous amount of land and water—not only for the animals themselves but also to grow the food that they eat, which could instead be eaten by humans. This contributes to deforestation and habitat loss. The large amount of animal waste produced on industrial farms also pollutes waterways. The livestock sector produces more greenhouse-gas emissions than the entire transportation industry combined.
The easiest way to protect other animals is just not to put them in your mouth. Damien Mander, Founder of the International Anti-Poaching Foundation
Because The Game Changers is jam-packed with compelling information and inspiring anecdotes, we couldn’t cover everything in it with these discussion questions. So be sure to take some time after finishing the film to discuss key takeaways and lasting impressions as well as what students were surprised to learn, how their perception of vegans has changed, and how they intend to apply what they learned from the film in their own lives. Your students may feel motivated to make significant changes to their eating habits, so provide them with these resources to help them make the switch to a vegan lifestyle in a healthy and informed way, and encourage them to share the resources with their families and friends:
Order a free vegan starter kit, which includes everything from recipes and tips on eating out to health information.
For recipes and information geared toward young people, you can also order PETA’s Guide to Going Vegan.
Remind students to consider the guiding questions. They can use the Building an Argument graphic organizer to develop explanations of their positions and use evidence to support them. They can discuss their positions and evidence in pairs or small groups and then write persuasive essays laying out the critical features of their arguments.
Extend Student Learning
Host a “compassion challenge,” like TeachKind teacher Dennis Yong, in which students commit to going vegan for a month at a time in exchange for a sticker on their “compassion badge.” Yong laminates the badges for his students to keep at the end of the year as a reminder of their progress. He encourages students to discuss their choices with their families to promote understanding and shares tips on finding vegan-friendly meals in restaurants. As a result, some of his former students have stopped eating animals altogether.
When students eat vegan, they can improve their own health as well as saving nearly 200 animals’ lives per year. Use this debate kit to help them research and discuss the moral implications of eating meat, eggs, and dairy.
Going vegan can also lessen our impact on the planet. Use this debate kit to help students research and discuss the harmful effects of animal agriculture on the environment.
PETA staff members are available to give virtual presentations to your class via Skype, Zoom, or Google Hangout about the benefits of a vegan lifestyle and other animal rights issues. Please fill out the form below to request a speaker.
Request a Speaker
Using movies as part of a lesson plan on animal rights is an entertaining and effective way to keep students engaged from home while also instilling compassion for animals.


petapeoplefortheethicaltreatmentofanimals--2020-06-05--‘Grim Reaper’ to Haunt Sherman Slaughterhouse

As the Novel Coronavirus Infects Thousands of Workers Nationwide , PETA Calls for Tyson , Other Slaughterhouses to Shut Down Sherman , Texas – On Saturday , a “ Grim Reaper ” holding a scythe with the message “ Slaughterhouses Kill Animals and Workers ” will lead a protest outside the Tyson slaughterhouse in Sherman , which is showing no mercy for animals or workers by remaining open even though more than 320 employees have tested positive for COVID-19 , one of whom died .
Where : 4700 U.S.-75 ( next to the staff parking lot ) , Sherman “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slaughterhouses are breeding grounds for diseases that can jump from animals to humans—and they ’ re the least safe workplaces in the world , ” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk .
“ As COVID-19 spreads like wildfire from worker to worker , PETA is calling for slaughterhouses to shut down and stay closed , for everyone ’ s protection.
” The novel coronavirus originated in a Chinese “ wet market , ” where live and dead animals are sold for human consumption ; swine flu began on a U.S. factory farm ; and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chickens .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that approximately 75 % of recently emerged infectious diseases affecting humans originated in other animals .
PETA sent Tyson a letter in April offering to help with the cost of retraining its employees to produce exclusively vegan meat .
PETA—whose motto reads , in part , that “ animals are not ours to eat ” —opposes speciesism , which is a human-supremacist worldview .
For more information , please visit PETA.org .

As the Novel Coronavirus Infects Thousands of Workers Nationwide, PETA Calls for Tyson, Other Slaughterhouses to Shut Down
For Immediate Release:
June 5, 2020
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Sherman, Texas – On Saturday, a “Grim Reaper” holding a scythe with the message “Slaughterhouses Kill Animals and Workers” will lead a protest outside the Tyson slaughterhouse in Sherman, which is showing no mercy for animals or workers by remaining open even though more than 320 employees have tested positive for COVID-19, one of whom died.
When: Saturday, June 6, 11:30 a.m.
Where: 4700 U.S.-75 (next to the staff parking lot), Sherman
“Filthy, wet, blood- and offal-soaked slaughterhouses are breeding grounds for diseases that can jump from animals to humans—and they’re the least safe workplaces in the world,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “As COVID-19 spreads like wildfire from worker to worker, PETA is calling for slaughterhouses to shut down and stay closed, for everyone’s protection.”
The novel coronavirus originated in a Chinese “wet market,” where live and dead animals are sold for human consumption; swine flu began on a U.S. factory farm; and other influenza viruses have been traced to chickens. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that approximately 75% of recently emerged infectious diseases affecting humans originated in other animals.
PETA sent Tyson a letter in April offering to help with the cost of retraining its employees to produce exclusively vegan meat.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, which is a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org.


petapeoplefortheethicaltreatmentofanimals--2020-06-05--9 Brain ‘Studies’ Proving Experimenters Need THEIR Brains Tested

When experimenters “ study ” animals ’ brains , it generally means that they ’ re drilling holes into animals ’ skulls , injecting drugs and toxins directly into their brains , intentionally inflicting brain damage ( by burning , suctioning out , or mutilating parts of their brains ) , inserting electrodes , or implanting equipment into their brains , or any combination thereof—only to kill and dissect them afterwards .
These atrocities are often done without adequate pain relief .
Can you even imagine ?
Try to .
The cruelty behind treating sensitive animals as disposable lab equipment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do so much as lead to information that ’ s even relevant to humans—let alone cures or treatments .
The major ethical shortcomings required to inflict such intense harm on other sentient beings , the physiological differences between humans and other animals , and the fact that any data that could potentially be collected from these experiments are limited to the context of a laboratory are all evidence that the animal experimentation industry is riddled with psychopaths who use lab coats as nothing more than a guise to indulge in their depravity legally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that expose animal testing for the torturous , wasteful , and meaningless enterprise that it is—while also delaying the development of meaningful treatments and cures for ailing humans : 1 .
Rat Brain Experiments by Tania Roth at the University of Delaware The victims : Rats and mice are family-oriented , sensitive , empathetic animals .
They speak to each other in squeaks and in high-frequency sounds that are inaudible to the human ear .
They become emotionally attached to one other , love their families , and bond easily with their human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tania Roth ’ s taxpayer-funded “ studies ” started with her tearing newborn baby rats away from their mothers and placing them with stressed “ foster mothers.
” Then she had the young females mate .
Just one day after the animals gave birth , she cut into the new mothers ’ heads , removed part of their skull , and inserted a tube into their brain .
Pain relief consisted of a single injection of a painkiller , which was likely highly inadequate for such an invasive procedure .
Then a day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into their brains daily for a week .
Finally , she observed the mothers ’ behavior with their pups for half an hour and then killed and dissected them .
The excuse : To discover how to mitigate the negative effects of early-life child abuse on human parenting .
What ?
Roth even admits that the drug she used can ’ t cross the blood-brain barrier and had to be administered directly into the brain—making the data from her tests completely meaningless for humans .
2 .
Monkey Brain Experiments at the National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ live in large family groups , playing , eating , exploring , and hanging out together .
Female macaques stay with their mothers for their entire lives , and males do so for several years .
They ’ re intelligent—they ’ ve learned to use iPhones to look at themselves—and empathetic , often risking their own lives to help others .
In 2014 , a rhesus monkey in Kanpur , India , was knocked unconscious by overhead power lines , and another rhesus was seen reviving him or her with resuscitative actions .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ into monkeys ’ heads , saws off a portion of their skulls , and then injects toxins into their brains to cause permanent and traumatic brain damage .
In some monkeys , she suctions out or burns part of the brain .
Then she locks the primates alone inside a cramped cage and deliberately frightens them with fake snakes and spiders until they ’ re eventually killed .
The excuse : Murray claims that her experiments shed light on human neuropsychiatric disorders .
Yet after three decades of mutilating , tormenting , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t developed a single treatment or cure for humans .
Still , she has received more than $ 36 million in the past 13 years alone to terrorize and kill animals .
The victims : Owls eat at night , which means that extensive lighting disrupts their hunting patterns .
Large , bare branches are prime spots for owls to perch on , and they often make hollow trees their home .
The experiment : Experimenter Shreesh Mysore keeps barn owls caged in a fluorescent-lit basement , where he cuts into their skulls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cements a stainless steel bolt to the base of their skulls , which he uses to restrict their head movements ; and restrains the fully conscious owls in plastic tubes or tight jackets for up to 12 hours at a time .
He clamps their eyes open and bombards them with bursts of noise and light while poking around at neurons in the conscious birds ’ brains .
He then mutilates their brain tissue so severely by moving the electrodes around that the birds become “ unusable ” to him—at which point he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experiments are painful for the owls .
The excuse : Mysore claims to be studying human attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) , even though barn owls don ’ t suffer from the condition and have vastly different auditory and visual systems than humans .
Moreover , the owls ’ confinement to an unnatural environment and the use of artificial stimulation introduce additional confounding factors .
Even so , he ’ s received more than $ 1 million in funding from Johns Hopkins University ( JHU ) and $ 1.3 million of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Health .
The victims : Rhesus monkeys in laboratories have been observed starving themselves rather than subjecting their friends to electrocution .
In nature , some monkeys place sticks on the ground to indicate to others which trail to follow .
Many monkeys go insane inside laboratory cages , exhibiting behavior such as rocking back and forth , pacing endlessly , and making involuntary , spastic movements .
They will even self-mutilate , including by tearing their hair out or biting their own flesh .
The experiment : Experimenters at JHU also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their brains with a metal plate , and then made two rhesus monkeys use a computer game in which they “ gambled ” for “ drops of juice.
” ( It ’ s common for experimenters to restrict animals ’ fluid intake in order to coerce them to cooperate . )
They then pumped freezing methanol into the metal plate covering their brains .
JHU ’ s violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act ( AWA ) include isolating highly social monkeys in barren cages as well as causing a number of horrific @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This test supposedly could lead to better treatments for humans who exhibit destructive , risky types of behavior .
Experimenters found that the monkeys were more likely to choose a “ bet ” that was high risk but could pay off with more juice , rather than one that was a sure thing .
Bravo , JHU .
You found a way to torture animals for what could have been easily “ discovered ” by employing willing human volunteers in non-invasive studies .
What ’ s more , in response to its campus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ordered its experimenters to identify “ critical animals to be maintained , ” presumably leading to the mass killing of countless others who aren ’ t considered “ critical ” —which makes us wonder why they were being experimented on in the first place if not even JHU finds these experiments necessary .
5 .
Monkey , Mice , and Rat Brain Experiments at the University of California–San Francisco The victims : Male mice woo their mates with high-pitched love songs , and infant rats giggle when they ’ re tickled .
Not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they know is in distress , they have also been observed preventing other rats from suffering , even when they didn ’ t know each other and would have to share food .
At the University of California–San Francisco ( UCSF ) , experimenters didn ’ t provide mice and rats with pain relief before cutting into their skulls .
The school ’ s animal experimenters were also cited for poor monitoring of eight voles , a type of rodent , in a degenerative brain disease study .
They were supposed to record @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ at the earliest point possible.
” However , no one monitored the infected voles over a weekend .
Three of them died of brain disease without yielding any data for the study , and all may have suffered from “ discomfort , distress and pain , ” federal inspectors said .
The experiments : A rhesus monkey named Peanut was subjected to multiple invasive brain surgeries and was deliberately deprived of food so that he would perform tasks while restrained .
He lost 25 % of his bodyweight , possibly because he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jaw malfunction , which experimenters only realized after they ’ d killed him .
Another monkey named Petra was subjected to invasive brain experiments and suffered from a severe infection of the wound left when her head had been cut open .
A device implanted in her skull remained in place for seven months , and the veterinarian left screws in her skull for months after it was removed .
Experimenters continued to torment her for nearly two years despite her chronic pain .
She rapidly began to lose weight , circled endlessly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her own hair .
More than a year after that , experimenters found a piece of acrylic that had been left in her head from two years prior .
Finally , they euthanized her .
The excuse : Experimenters implanted a device in Petra ’ s skull so that they could deliver gene therapy for Parkinson ’ s disease directly to her brain .
UCSF receives nearly half a billion dollars a year in taxpayer funds , despite its more than 100 violations of the AWA .
Do you know of any cures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do we .
6 .
Rat Brain Experiments at the University of Missouri The victims : Rats make loyal and devoted companions and are even known to put themselves in harm ’ s way in order to save someone else .
The experiment : Experimenters used rats in weight-training tests by cutting into their heads , removing parts of their skulls , and injecting an inflammatory compound into their brains .
They taped heavy weights to the animals ’ tails and forced them to climb a 3-foot ladder .
The rodents were then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killed .
The excuse : To determine whether resistance training ( weightlifting ) can overcome cognitive deficits—even though multiple studies involving humans have already done so .
The benefits of exercise to humans suffering from mild cognitive impairment have been well established , so , good one , Mizzou .
The victims : Infant mice use ultrasonic sounds to call to their mothers , and female mice sing to one another to help distinguish individuals , much as a human might use their voice to say , “ You look familiar .
Where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mice are intelligent , social , and affectionate and will even reciprocate a massage from humans by lovingly grooming their fingers .
They become emotionally attached to one another and fiercely protect their families .
These bright , curious animals are content to spend hours exploring and playing .
The experiment : Experimenters at the Cleveland Clinic call it a “ cranial window , ” but what they mean is a hole drilled into the skull exposing the brain and covered with glass .
PETA revealed that experimenters suction out portions of mice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place a glass coverslip over the exposed portion .
They then glue a stainless steel “ head cap ” onto the mouse ’ s skull .
The mouse receives pain relief only on the day of the surgery and the next day .
The excuse : These painful , invasive experiments are apparently done to monitor what happens to “ the brain condition.
” However , the “ structure , function , and behavior ” of the mouse brain has little relevance to the human brain .
In a recent Reuters article on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s vice president of neuroscience research , Dr. Christer Nordstedt , said , “ We ’ ve been handicapped by the fact that we have been studying diseases in animals that don ’ t really exist in animals .
Mice don ’ t get depression .
They don ’ t get schizophrenia .
They don ’ t get Alzheimer ’ s disease.
” 8 .
Mice and Rat Brain Experiments Commissioned by the National Football League Foundation , Formerly Known as NFL Charities The victims : Rats are natural students who excel at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least as capable as dogs are of thinking about things and figuring them out .
They have excellent memories , and although their eyesight is poor , once they learn a route , they never forget it .
Much like us , if they don ’ t have companionship , they can become lonely and sad .
Mice and rats can recognize their names and respond when called , and if rats aren ’ t forced to live inside a dirty cage , their skin has a very pleasant perfume-like scent .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slamming heavy weights into rats ’ heads to create brain and spinal cord injuries and skull fractures as well as cutting open the heads of mice and delivering crushing blows to cause traumatic brain injuries .
The experiments are crudely designed to recreate injuries on the football field .
For years , the NFL has quietly funded horrific and deadly sports-injury experiments on dogs , mice , rats , and other animals at Harvard University , the University of Pennsylvania , the University of California–Los Angeles , the University of Notre Dame , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The excuse : To prevent and treat injuries sustained by NFL players .
But bashing in animals ’ heads doesn ’ t prevent injuries on the football field , as studies have shown that they don ’ t accurately replicate the complex injuries sustained by football players—and data and treatments derived from brain-injury experiments on animals have repeatedly failed to help human patients .
9 .
Monkey Brain Experiments at the University of Utah The victims : Marmosets are highly social creatures who are monogamous , forming family units .
The youngsters in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the babies , assisting with feeding , carrying , and educating them .
They have excellent eyesight and hearing and an acute sense of smell , and they display emotions through their eyelid and ear movements .
They also use noises and various high-pitched chirps along with various facial expressions to communicate .
The experiment : A marmoset monkey underwent a highly invasive surgery in the laboratory of Alessandra Angelucci .
Laboratory staff tried for up to three hours to find a vein to insert an IV catheter for delivery of fluids @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to accomplish this , the experimenters proceeded with the surgery anyway , which included removing a portion of the monkey ’ s skull and inserting electrodes into his brain .
During periods when he was awake for invasive neurological recording , he was repeatedly injected with ketamine , which would have been extremely inadequate for managing pain , and with a paralytic agent to stop eye movement .
After the torturous 14-hour surgery and recording , he was dumped back into his cage .
Less than 24 hours later , he was dead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to study visual information processing ( how monkey brains process visual information ) .
The U.S. Department of Agriculture found that this incident constituted a “ critical ” violation of the AWA , the most severe violation an inspector can identify .
However , the university has been allowed to keep all the federal grant money that it was awarded for this project , despite breaking the law .
By comparison with a coin toss , animal experiments are five times worse at predicting the effectiveness of human clinical therapies .
Experimenters need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something is clearly not right there .
Their sense of justification and entitlement to inflict inconceivable pain and suffering on sensitive beings is truly incomprehensible .
The cruelty is only made worse by the fact that it ’ s also bad science and a sickeningly huge waste of taxpayer dollars .
Animal testing is inexcusable on every conceivable level .
If Not Animals , Then What ?
Better Science , Better Results fMRIs and other neuroimaging techniques allow researchers to study the structure and function of human brains , including emotions , memories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ language as well as brain diseases and disorders like Alzheimer ’ s and Parkinson ’ s and the effects of different drugs on the brain .
This research can be done non-invasively in diverse groups of patients and healthy volunteers .
Researchers can safely and non-invasively simulate various conditions such as pain and evaluate brain activity up close .
Human imaging studies can be coupled with tissue and cell sampling , micro-dosing , interviews , epidemiological analysis , and other human-centered research methods to glean valuable information from humans—unlike inferior , archaic data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ animals .
Not only are animal experiments ineffective , their results can also be dangerous when applied to humans .
Corticosteroids , for example , were used to treat head injuries in animals , yet in human trials , the treatment increased deaths in newborn babies .
Human-based studies spare countless animals ’ lives and provide human-relevant data .
What are we waiting for ?
Please sign PETA ’ s lifesaving Research Modernization Deal petition asking your U.S. legislators to replace the use of animals in experiments with human-relevant methods .
Take Action @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Campuses

When experimenters “study” animals’ brains, it generally means that they’re drilling holes into animals’ skulls, injecting drugs and toxins directly into their brains, intentionally inflicting brain damage on them (by burning, suctioning out, or mutilating parts of their brains), inserting electrodes or implanting equipment into their brains, or any combination thereof—only to kill them and dissect their brains afterward. These atrocities are often done without adequate pain relief. Can you even imagine? Try to.
The cruelty behind treating sensitive animals as disposable lab equipment is unjustifiable, and these experiments rarely do so much as lead to information that’s even relevant to humans—let alone cures or treatments. The major ethical shortcomings required to inflict such intense harm on other sentient beings, the physiological differences between humans and other animals, and the fact that any data that could potentially be collected from these experiments are limited to the context of a laboratory are all evidence that the animal experimentation industry is riddled with psychopaths who use lab coats as nothing more than a guise to indulge in their depravity legally.
Here are nine twisted brain experiments that expose animal testing for the torturous, wasteful, and meaningless enterprise that it is—while also delaying the development of meaningful treatments and cures for ailing humans:
1. Rat Brain Experiments by Tania Roth at the University of Delaware
The victims: Rats and mice are family-oriented, sensitive, empathetic animals. They speak to each other in squeaks and in high-frequency sounds that are inaudible to the human ear. They become emotionally attached to one other, love their families, and bond easily with their human guardians.
The experiment: One of Tania Roth’s taxpayer-funded “studies” started with her tearing newborn baby rats away from their mothers and placing them with stressed “foster mothers.” Then she had the young females mate. Just one day after the animals gave birth, she cut into the new mothers’ heads, removed part of their skull, and inserted a tube into their brain. Pain relief consisted of a single injection of a painkiller, which was likely highly inadequate for such an invasive procedure. Then a day later, she started pumping a drug into their brains daily for a week. Finally, she observed the mothers’ behavior with their pups for half an hour and then killed and dissected them.
© Freeimages.com/VictorMaltby | Sensitive adult rats and pups imprisoned in Roth's lab were destined to be tormented in her experiments.
The excuse: To discover how to mitigate the negative effects of early-life child abuse on human parenting. What? Roth even admits that the drug she used can’t cross the blood-brain barrier and had to be administered directly into the brain—making the data from her tests completely meaningless for humans.
2. Monkey Brain Experiments at the National Institutes of Health
The victims: Monkeys live in large family groups, playing, eating, exploring, and hanging out together. Female macaques stay with their mothers for their entire lives, and males do so for several years. They’re intelligent—they’ve learned to use iPhones to look at themselves—and empathetic, often risking their own lives to help others. In 2014, a rhesus monkey in Kanpur, India, was knocked unconscious by overhead power lines, and another rhesus was seen reviving him or her with resuscitative actions.
The experiment: Experimenter Elisabeth Murray cuts into monkeys’ heads, saws off a portion of their skulls, and then injects toxins into their brains to cause permanent and traumatic brain damage. In some monkeys, she suctions out or burns part of the brain. Then she locks the primates alone inside a cramped cage and deliberately frightens them with fake snakes and spiders until they’re eventually killed.
The excuse: Murray claims that her experiments shed light on human neuropsychiatric disorders. Yet after three decades of mutilating, tormenting, and killing monkeys, her laboratory hasn’t developed a single treatment or cure for humans. Still, she has received more than $36 million in the past 13 years alone to terrorize and kill animals.
3. Owl Brain Experiments at Johns Hopkins University
The victims: Owls eat at night, which means that extensive lighting disrupts their hunting patterns. Large, bare branches are prime spots for owls to perch on, and they often make hollow trees their home.
The experiment: Experimenter Shreesh Mysore keeps barn owls caged in a fluorescent-lit basement, where he cuts into their skulls; implants electrodes into their heads; cements a stainless steel bolt to the base of their skulls, which he uses to restrict their head movements; and restrains the fully conscious owls in plastic tubes or tight jackets for up to 12 hours at a time. He clamps their eyes open and bombards them with bursts of noise and light while poking around at neurons in the conscious birds’ brains. He then mutilates their brain tissue so severely by moving the electrodes around that the birds become “unusable” to him—at which point he kills them. He admits that his experiments are painful for the owls.
The excuse: Mysore claims to be studying human attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), even though barn owls don’t suffer from the condition and have vastly different auditory and visual systems than humans. Moreover, the owls’ confinement to an unnatural environment and the use of artificial stimulation introduce additional confounding factors. Even so, he’s received more than $1 million in funding from Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and $1.3 million of your tax dollars from the National Institutes of Health.
4. Monkey Brain Experiments at Johns Hopkins University
The victims: Rhesus monkeys in laboratories have been observed starving themselves rather than subjecting their friends to electrocution. In nature, some monkeys place sticks on the ground to indicate to others which trail to follow. Many monkeys go insane inside laboratory cages, exhibiting behavior such as rocking back and forth, pacing endlessly, and making involuntary, spastic movements. They will even self-mutilate, including by tearing their hair out or biting their own flesh.
The experiment: Experimenters at JHU also cut into monkeys’ skulls, covered their brains with a metal plate, and then made two rhesus monkeys use a computer game in which they “gambled” for “drops of juice.” (It’s common for experimenters to restrict animals’ fluid intake in order to coerce them to cooperate.) They then pumped freezing methanol into the metal plate covering their brains. JHU’s violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) include isolating highly social monkeys in barren cages as well as causing a number of horrific, accidental deaths.
The excuse: This test supposedly could lead to better treatments for humans who exhibit destructive, risky types of behavior. Experimenters found that the monkeys were more likely to choose a “bet” that was high risk but could pay off with more juice, rather than one that was a sure thing. Bravo, JHU. You found a way to torture animals for what could have been easily “discovered” by employing willing human volunteers in non-invasive studies.
What’s more, in response to its campus shutdown because of COVID-19, the university ordered its experimenters to identify “critical animals to be maintained,” presumably leading to the mass killing of countless others who aren’t considered “critical”—which makes us wonder why they were being experimented on in the first place if not even JHU finds these experiments necessary.
5. Monkey, Mice, and Rat Brain Experiments at the University of California–San Francisco
The victims: Male mice woo their mates with high-pitched love songs, and infant rats giggle when they’re tickled. Not only do rats express empathy when someone they know is in distress, they have also been observed preventing other rats from suffering, even when they didn’t know each other and would have to share food.
At the University of California–San Francisco (UCSF), experimenters didn’t provide mice and rats with pain relief before cutting into their skulls. The school’s animal experimenters were also cited for poor monitoring of eight voles, a type of rodent, in a degenerative brain disease study. They were supposed to record signs of disease before euthanizing the animals “at the earliest point possible.” However, no one monitored the infected voles over a weekend. Three of them died of brain disease without yielding any data for the study, and all may have suffered from “discomfort, distress and pain,” federal inspectors said.
The experiments: A rhesus monkey named Peanut was subjected to multiple invasive brain surgeries and was deliberately deprived of food so that he would perform tasks while restrained. He lost 25% of his bodyweight, possibly because he couldn’t chew due to a jaw malfunction, which experimenters only realized after they’d killed him.
Another monkey named Petra was subjected to invasive brain experiments and suffered from a severe infection of the wound left when her head had been cut open. A device implanted in her skull remained in place for seven months, and the veterinarian left screws in her skull for months after it was removed. Experimenters continued to torment her for nearly two years despite her chronic pain. She rapidly began to lose weight, circled endlessly in her cage, and ripped out her own hair. More than a year after that, experimenters found a piece of acrylic that had been left in her head from two years prior. Finally, they euthanized her.
The excuse: Experimenters implanted a device in Petra’s skull so that they could deliver gene therapy for Parkinson’s disease directly to her brain. UCSF receives nearly half a billion dollars a year in taxpayer funds, despite its more than 100 violations of the AWA. Do you know of any cures for Parkinson’s disease? Neither do we.
6. Rat Brain Experiments at the University of Missouri
The victims: Rats make loyal and devoted companions and are even known to put themselves in harm’s way in order to save someone else.
The experiment: Experimenters used rats in weight-training tests by cutting into their heads, removing parts of their skulls, and injecting an inflammatory compound into their brains. They taped heavy weights to the animals’ tails and forced them to climb a 3-foot ladder. The rodents were then subjected to fear-motivated memory tests before being killed.
The excuse: To determine whether resistance training (weightlifting) can overcome cognitive deficits—even though multiple studies involving humans have already done so. The benefits of exercise to humans suffering from mild cognitive impairment have been well established, so, good one, Mizzou.
7. Mouse Brain Experiments at the Cleveland Clinic
The victims: Infant mice use ultrasonic sounds to call to their mothers, and female mice sing to one another to help distinguish individuals, much as a human might use their voice to say, “You look familiar. Where do I know you from?” Mice are intelligent, social, and affectionate and will even reciprocate a massage from humans by lovingly grooming their fingers. They become emotionally attached to one another and fiercely protect their families. These bright, curious animals are content to spend hours exploring and playing.
The experiment: Experimenters at the Cleveland Clinic call it a “cranial window,” but what they mean is a hole drilled into the skull exposing the brain and covered with glass. PETA revealed that experimenters suction out portions of mice brains to expose the hippocampus and then place a glass coverslip over the exposed portion. They then glue a stainless steel “head cap” onto the mouse’s skull. The mouse receives pain relief only on the day of the surgery and the next day.
The excuse: These painful, invasive experiments are apparently done to monitor what happens to “the brain condition.” However, the “structure, function, and behavior” of the mouse brain has little relevance to the human brain. In a recent Reuters article on the BRAIN Initiative, Eli Lilly’s vice president of neuroscience research, Dr. Christer Nordstedt, said, “We’ve been handicapped by the fact that we have been studying diseases in animals that don’t really exist in animals. Mice don’t get depression. They don’t get schizophrenia. They don’t get Alzheimer’s disease.”
8. Mice and Rat Brain Experiments Commissioned by the National Football League Foundation, Formerly Known as NFL Charities
The victims: Rats are natural students who excel at learning and understanding concepts and are at least as capable as dogs are of thinking about things and figuring them out. They have excellent memories, and although their eyesight is poor, once they learn a route, they never forget it. Much like us, if they don’t have companionship, they can become lonely and sad. Mice and rats can recognize their names and respond when called, and if rats aren’t forced to live inside a dirty cage, their skin has a very pleasant perfume-like scent.
The experiment: These tests have involved repeatedly slamming heavy weights into rats’ heads to create brain and spinal cord injuries and skull fractures as well as cutting open the heads of mice and delivering crushing blows to cause traumatic brain injuries. The experiments are crudely designed to recreate injuries on the football field.
For years, the NFL has quietly funded horrific and deadly sports-injury experiments on dogs, mice, rats, and other animals at Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of California–Los Angeles, the University of Notre Dame, and other schools and private laboratories.
The excuse: To prevent and treat injuries sustained by NFL players. But bashing in animals’ heads doesn’t prevent injuries on the football field, as studies have shown that they don’t accurately replicate the complex injuries sustained by football players—and data and treatments derived from brain-injury experiments on animals have repeatedly failed to help human patients.
9. Monkey Brain Experiments at the University of Utah
The victims: Marmosets are highly social creatures who are monogamous, forming family units. The youngsters in the troop help the male take care of the babies, assisting with feeding, carrying, and educating them. They have excellent eyesight and hearing and an acute sense of smell, and they display emotions through their eyelid and ear movements. They also use noises and various high-pitched chirps along with various facial expressions to communicate.
The experiment: A marmoset monkey underwent a highly invasive surgery in the laboratory of Alessandra Angelucci. Laboratory staff tried for up to three hours to find a vein to insert an IV catheter for delivery of fluids. When they couldn’t manage to accomplish this, the experimenters proceeded with the surgery anyway, which included removing a portion of the monkey’s skull and inserting electrodes into his brain. During periods when he was awake for invasive neurological recording, he was repeatedly injected with ketamine, which would have been extremely inadequate for managing pain, and with a paralytic agent to stop eye movement. After the torturous 14-hour surgery and recording, he was dumped back into his cage. Less than 24 hours later, he was dead.
The excuse: Angelucci uses marmosets to study visual information processing (how monkey brains process visual information). The U.S. Department of Agriculture found that this incident constituted a “critical” violation of the AWA, the most severe violation an inspector can identify. However, the university has been allowed to keep all the federal grant money that it was awarded for this project, despite breaking the law.
*****
By comparison with a coin toss, animal experiments are five times worse at predicting the effectiveness of human clinical therapies. Experimenters need to check their own brains, because something is clearly not right there. Their sense of justification and entitlement to inflict inconceivable pain and suffering on sensitive beings is truly incomprehensible. The cruelty is only made worse by the fact that it’s also bad science and a sickeningly huge waste of taxpayer dollars. Animal testing is inexcusable on every conceivable level.
If Not Animals, Then What? Better Science, Better Results
fMRIs and other neuroimaging techniques allow researchers to study the structure and function of human brains, including emotions, memories, and how we learn and process language as well as brain diseases and disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s and the effects of different drugs on the brain. This research can be done non-invasively in diverse groups of patients and healthy volunteers. Researchers can safely and non-invasively simulate various conditions such as pain and evaluate brain activity up close. Human imaging studies can be coupled with tissue and cell sampling, micro-dosing, interviews, epidemiological analysis, and other human-centered research methods to glean valuable information from humans—unlike inferior, archaic data derived from crude and inapplicable experiments on animals.
Not only are animal experiments ineffective, their results can also be dangerous when applied to humans. Corticosteroids, for example, were used to treat head injuries in animals, yet in human trials, the treatment increased deaths in newborn babies. Human-based studies spare countless animals’ lives and provide human-relevant data. What are we waiting for? Please sign PETA’s lifesaving Research Modernization Deal petition asking your U.S. legislators to replace the use of animals in experiments with human-relevant methods.
Take Action to End Cruel Animal Experiments on University Campuses


petapeoplefortheethicaltreatmentofanimals--2020-06-05--Pregnant Elephant’s Death Proves Elephants Need You Now

The heartbreaking image of the trusting pregnant elephant who died in agony after she consumed a coconut stuffed with explosives rightfully sparked outrage nationwide .
PETA India ’ s emergency response team is in touch with senior forest officials in Kerala to help bring those responsible to justice .
One arrest has been made , and three suspects have been identified .
The Animal Welfare Board of India , a government body , has also issued this letter : This isn ’ t the first time an elephant has died after crude bombs exploded or firecrackers were set off .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ killed to protect crops , a practice which must be punished to the fullest extent of the law .
PETA India advises that , instead of killing animals , town and farm planning take into account the importance of protecting their natural habitats .
There are also countless humane ways to protect crops , including fencing , noisemakers , and , in the case of elephants , planting chilli peppers around the farm perimeter .
We also encourage forest departments to hold educational workshops for local farmers on humane methods of crop protection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take matters involving wild animals into their own hands and to contact the forest department instead .
Elephants are a National Heritage Animal , and it ’ s high time they were treated as such .
This includes protecting the forests in which they live and opposing cruel circuses , zoos , rides , festivals , and the like , for which they ’ re held captive and spend nearly their entire lives in chains .
You Can Help Elephants Please urge authorities to add elephants to the list of species whose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also tweet the environment and animal husbandry ministers and urge them to take steps to end elephant captivity and performances :

The heartbreaking image of the trusting pregnant elephant who died in agony after she consumed a fruit stuffed with explosives rightfully sparked outrage nationwide.
Dear @PrakashJavdekar, elephants also suffer in cruel captivity. Please protect elephants by amending Section 40 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 to prohibit keeping elephants in captivity. https://t.co/mLPfwC4DJ9 — PETA India (@PetaIndia) June 4, 2020
PETA India’s emergency response team is in touch with senior forest officials in Kerala to help bring those responsible to justice. One arrest has been made, and three suspects have been identified.
The Animal Welfare Board of India, a government body, has also issued this letter:
This isn’t the first time an elephant has died after crude bombs exploded or firecrackers were set off. They and other wild animals are often killed to protect crops, a practice which must be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
PETA India advises that, instead of killing animals, town and farm planning take into account the importance of protecting their natural habitats. There are also countless humane ways to protect crops, including fencing, noisemakers, and, in the case of elephants, planting chilli peppers around the farm perimeter.
We also encourage forest departments to hold educational workshops for local farmers on humane methods of crop protection, and we urge the public never to take matters involving wild animals into their own hands and to contact the forest department instead.
Elephants are a National Heritage Animal, and it’s high time they were treated as such. This includes protecting the forests in which they live and opposing cruel circuses, zoos, rides, festivals, and the like, for which they’re held captive and spend nearly their entire lives in chains.
You Can Help Elephants
Please urge authorities to add elephants to the list of species whose use in performances is banned:
Help Spare Elephants Cruel Performances
Please also tweet the environment and animal husbandry ministers and urge them to take steps to end elephant captivity and performances:


Poochy Pawz

At Poochy Pawz we applaud the ways in which you love & appreciate your fur baby , and we ’ @ @ @ @ @ when you want to go for it and enjoy the moment .
We developed the @ @ @ @ @ warm weather , so your Pooch can participate in all the wonderful adventures you go @ @ @

"Love these boots. We got them to keep Jersey’s paws safe in the summer, but found they work great in the winter too. They are so easy to get on and they stay on."
Elise G


petapeoplefortheethicaltreatmentofanimals--2020-06-06--Please Include Animals in Tropical Storm Cristobal Coverage

PETA Warns Against Leaving Animals Behind to Fend for Themselves Norfolk , Va. – As Tropical Storm Cristobal approaches the Gulf Coast and a mandatory evacuation has been ordered for all residents of Grand Isle , Louisiana , PETA is offering vital advice to help ensure the safety of animals now and for the rest of the hurricane season .
PETA has provided the following information , which could save the lives of cats , dogs , rabbits , hamsters , and other animals who need to be included in disaster-preparedness plans : • Keep animals indoors with you if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leave them tethered , penned , or crated .
This includes rabbits , birds , lizards , dogs , cats , or any other animals who can be taken • If you evacuate , do not leave animals behind , where they could drown or be killed by falling debris , collapsing roofs , etc .
Plan your destination .
Do not leave animals unsupervised in a car—they could suffer from heatstroke once the ambient temperature rises above 70 degrees , and the car could even be overturned or crushed during a significant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turn animals away , some hotels and many motels may be willing to accept small animals in an emergency .
Transport them in secure carriers and keep larger dogs leashed or harnessed , as frightening sounds and unfamiliar surroundings can cause them to bolt .
Take along water and food bowls , a favorite toy , a blanket , a towel , and enough food for a week .
• Be prepared by having your animals microchipped and putting secure , legible ID tags on them .
• Watch for other animals in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and others who may have gotten loose or been left behind .
If you see any animals in distress and can not help , note their location and call authorities for help immediately .
PETA ’ s Animal Rescue Team has witnessed firsthand the trauma that animals endure when left behind to face floodwaters and flying debris .
During previous storms , we have found dogs dead .
We have also found them up to their necks in water , unable to sit or lie down , in almost-submerged crates inside houses and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in high winds .
PETA has released a natural disaster-preparedness PSA featuring Dean Winters , to remind families to make plans to ensure the safety of their animal companions long before evacuating .
For more information , please visit PETA.org .

PETA Warns Against Leaving Animals Behind to Fend for Themselves
For Immediate Release:
June 5, 2020
Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382
Norfolk, Va. – As Tropical Storm Cristobal approaches the Gulf Coast and a mandatory evacuation has been ordered for all residents of Grand Isle, Louisiana, PETA is offering vital advice to help ensure the safety of animals now and for the rest of the hurricane season. PETA has provided the following information, which could save the lives of cats, dogs, rabbits, hamsters, and other animals who need to be included in disaster-preparedness plans:
Keep animals indoors with you if you choose not to evacuate. Never leave them tethered, penned, or crated. This includes rabbits, birds, lizards, dogs, cats, or any other animals who can be taken
Never leave them tethered, penned, or crated. This includes rabbits, birds, lizards, dogs, cats, or any other animals who can be taken If you evacuate, do not leave animals behind , where they could drown or be killed by falling debris, collapsing roofs, etc. Plan your destination. Do not leave animals unsupervised in a car—they could suffer from heatstroke once the ambient temperature rises above 70 degrees, and the car could even be overturned or crushed during a significant storm.
, where they could drown or be killed by falling debris, collapsing roofs, etc. Plan your destination. Do not leave animals unsupervised in a car—they could suffer from heatstroke once the ambient temperature rises above 70 degrees, and the car could even be overturned or crushed during a significant storm. Although emergency shelters sometimes turn animals away, some hotels and many motels may be willing to accept small animals in an emergency. Transport them in secure carriers and keep larger dogs leashed or harnessed, as frightening sounds and unfamiliar surroundings can cause them to bolt. Take along water and food bowls, a favorite toy, a blanket, a towel, and enough food for a week.
Be prepared by having your animals microchipped and putting secure, legible ID tags on them.
Watch for other animals in trouble, including absent neighbors’ animals and others who may have gotten loose or been left behind. If you see any animals in distress and cannot help, note their location and call authorities for help immediately.
PETA’s Animal Rescue Team has witnessed firsthand the trauma that animals endure when left behind to face floodwaters and flying debris. During previous storms, we have found dogs dead. We have also found them up to their necks in water, unable to sit or lie down, in almost-submerged crates inside houses and seen animals who have been flung around in high winds.
PETA has released a natural disaster-preparedness PSA featuring Dean Winters, to remind families to make plans to ensure the safety of their animal companions long before evacuating. For more information, please visit PETA.org.


petapeoplefortheethicaltreatmentofanimals--2020-06-06--Urgent! Cruel—and Criminal—to Abandon Animals During Tropical Storm

Norfolk , Va. – As Tropical Storm Cristobal approaches the Gulf Coast and a mandatory evacuation has been ordered for all residents of Grand Isle , Louisiana , PETA reminds residents never leave dogs tethered outside or crated inside their homes and should take their animal companions with them if they have to evacuate .
Believe it or not , many dogs and other animal companions are left behind every time there ’ s a natural disaster .
Dogs kept on tethered will swim to exhaustion and then drown , and there are tethered dogs everywhere .
PETA ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trauma that animals endure when left behind to face floodwaters and flying debris .
During previous storms , we have found dogs dead .
We have also found them up to their necks in water , unable to sit or lie down , in almost-submerged crates inside houses and seen animals who have been flung around in high winds .
And of course , animals are petrified in these kinds of weather conditions .
PETA has release a natural disaster-preparedness PSA featuring Dean Winters .
For more information , please visit PETA.org .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s tropical storm survival tips include New Orleans , Baton Rouge , LA ; and Mobile , AL .

For Immediate Release:
June 5, 2020
Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382
Norfolk, Va. – As Tropical Storm Cristobal approaches the Gulf Coast and a mandatory evacuation has been ordered for all residents of Grand Isle, Louisiana, PETA reminds residents never leave dogs tethered outside or crated inside their homes and should take their animal companions with them if they have to evacuate.
Believe it or not, many dogs and other animal companions are left behind every time there’s a natural disaster. Dogs kept on tethered will swim to exhaustion and then drown, and there are tethered dogs everywhere. PETA’s Animal Rescue Team has witnessed firsthand the trauma that animals endure when left behind to face floodwaters and flying debris. During previous storms, we have found dogs dead. We have also found them up to their necks in water, unable to sit or lie down, in almost-submerged crates inside houses and seen animals who have been flung around in high winds. And of course, animals are petrified in these kinds of weather conditions.
PETA has release a natural disaster-preparedness PSA featuring Dean Winters. For more information, please visit PETA.org.
Cities that have been alerted to PETA’s tropical storm survival tips include New Orleans, Baton Rouge, LA; and Mobile, AL.


petapeoplefortheethicaltreatmentofanimals--2020-06-08--Urgent From PETA: Hot-Weather Survival Tips for Animals

Norfolk , Va. – With high temperatures expected in the coming days , animals—who can quickly succumb to heatstroke if left outdoors or in a parked car—are at risk .
Three dogs have died in just the last two weeks after being left in hot cars , and with dogs being brought to protests and COVID-19 prolonging store wait times and errands , PETA is concerned that this summer could see an unprecedented number of .
Anyone who leaves animals outside to suffer in severe weather may be prosecuted for cruelty .
With protests currently sweeping the country , this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who may quickly overheat , need to re-hydrate frequently , and may burn their paws on hot pavement .
The following tips will help keep animal companions safe in hot weather : • Never leave an animal inside a hot vehicle .
Temperatures can quickly soar in parked cars , and a dog trapped inside can die from heatstroke within minutes—even if the car is in the shade with the windows slightly open , which has little to no effect on lowering the temperature inside the car .
PETA offers an emergency window-breaking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ situations .
• Keep animals indoors , and leave them at home when it ‘ s hot outside .
Unlike humans , dogs can sweat only through their footpads and cool themselves by panting , so even brief sun exposure can have life-threatening consequences .
Anyone who sees animals in distress and is unable to help should note their locations and alert authorities immediately .
• Avoid hot pavement .
When outdoor temperatures reach the 80s , asphalt temperatures can climb to 140 degrees , causing pain , burns , and permanent damage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few minutes of contact .
Walk dogs on grass whenever possible , and avoid walking in the middle of the day .
Never run with dogs in hot weather—they ’ ll collapse before giving up , at which point , it may be too late to save them .
PETA has released a warm-weather public service announcement featuring Mckenna Grace .
For more information , visit PETA.org .
Cities that have been alerted to PETA ’ s hot weather tips include Los Angeles , CA ; Minneapolis , MN ; New York , @ @ @ @ @ @ @

For Immediate Release:
June 8, 2020
Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382
Norfolk, Va. – With high temperatures expected in the coming days, animals—who can quickly succumb to heatstroke if left outdoors or in a parked car—are at risk. Three dogs have died in just the last two weeks after being left in hot cars, and with dogs being brought to protests and COVID-19 prolonging store wait times and errands, PETA is concerned that this summer could see an unprecedented number of hot weather–related animal deaths .
Anyone who leaves animals outside to suffer in severe weather may be prosecuted for cruelty. With protests currently sweeping the country, this reminder is especially important for dogs, who may quickly overheat, need to re-hydrate frequently, and may burn their paws on hot pavement.
The following tips will help keep animal companions safe in hot weather:
Never leave an animal inside a hot vehicle. Temperatures can quickly soar in parked cars, and a dog trapped inside can die from heatstroke within minutes—even if the car is in the shade with the windows slightly open, which has little to no effect on lowering the temperature inside the car. PETA offers an emergency window-breaking hammer for help with intervening in life-or-death situations.
Temperatures can quickly soar in parked cars, and a dog trapped inside can die from heatstroke within minutes—even if the car is in the shade with the windows slightly open, which has little to no effect on lowering the temperature inside the car. for help with intervening in life-or-death situations. Keep animals indoors, and leave them at home when it ‘s hot outside. Unlike humans, dogs can sweat only through their footpads and cool themselves by panting, so even brief sun exposure can have life-threatening consequences. Anyone who sees animals in distress and is unable to help should note their locations and alert authorities immediately.
Unlike humans, dogs can sweat only through their footpads and cool themselves by panting, so even brief sun exposure can have life-threatening consequences. Anyone who sees animals in distress and is unable to help should note their locations and alert authorities immediately. Avoid hot pavement. When outdoor temperatures reach the 80s, asphalt temperatures can climb to 140 degrees, causing pain, burns, and permanent damage to dogs’ paws after just a few minutes of contact. Walk dogs on grass whenever possible, and avoid walking in the middle of the day. Never run with dogs in hot weather—they’ll collapse before giving up, at which point, it may be too late to save them.
PETA has released a warm-weather public service announcement featuring Mckenna Grace. For more information, visit PETA.org.
Cities that have been alerted to PETA’s hot weather tips include Los Angeles, CA; Minneapolis, MN; New York, NY; and Washington, DC.


petapeoplefortheethicaltreatmentofanimals--2020-06-08--PETA to Rally in Support of Cruelty Charges Against Miami Seaquarium

Supporters Will Bring Giant 'Orca ' to State Attorney 's Office to Urge Criminal Charges Be Brought on Behalf of Long-Suffering Orca Lolita Miami – A group of PETA supporters—complete with a giant inflatable orca and signs reading , “ Lockdown for 50 Years ” —will rally outside the office of Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle on Tuesday to urge her to investigate and pursue appropriate cruelty-to-animals charges against the Miami Seaquarium for its abusive treatment of the orca Lolita .
As PETA points out in a letter sent to Fernandez Rundle sent last week , Lolita has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world since she was taken from the ocean and her family nearly 50 years ago .
She is denied the opportunity to dive , swim more than 80 feet in any direction , seek shelter from the blazing summer sun , or form social relationships with any others of her own species—and she displays repetitive and abnormal behavior indicating severe psychological trauma .
“ Suffering has been on display in the Miami Seaquarium ’ s minuscule orca tank for decades , ” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman .
“ PETA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hold this dismal theme park accountable for subjecting this orca to stress , agitation , and injury in apparent violation of Florida law.
” For more information , please visit PETA.org .

Supporters Will Bring Giant 'Orca' to State Attorney's Office to Urge Criminal Charges Be Brought on Behalf of Long-Suffering Orca Lolita
For Immediate Release:
June 8, 2020
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Miami – A group of PETA supporters—complete with a giant inflatable orca and signs reading, “Lockdown for 50 Years”—will rally outside the office of Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle on Tuesday to urge her to investigate and pursue appropriate cruelty-to-animals charges against the Miami Seaquarium for its abusive treatment of the orca Lolita.
When: Tuesday, June 9, 12 noon
Where: Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, 1350 N.W. 12th Ave., Miami
As PETA points out in a letter sent to Fernandez Rundle sent last week, Lolita has been confined to the smallest orca tank in the world since she was taken from the ocean and her family nearly 50 years ago. She is denied the opportunity to dive, swim more than 80 feet in any direction, seek shelter from the blazing summer sun, or form social relationships with any others of her own species—and she displays repetitive and abnormal behavior indicating severe psychological trauma.
“Suffering has been on display in the Miami Seaquarium’s minuscule orca tank for decades,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on the state attorney to hold this dismal theme park accountable for subjecting this orca to stress, agitation, and injury in apparent violation of Florida law.”
For more information, please visit PETA.org.


petapeoplefortheethicaltreatmentofanimals--2020-06-08--Bearadise Ranch Warned Over ‘Ring Bear’ Stunt

Following PETA Complaint , Florida Wildlife Officials Issue Warning for Using Bear in a Wedding—With No Barrier Between Animal and the Public Myakka City , Fla. – After PETA tipped off the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission ( FWC ) to a recent stunt in which Bearadise Ranch forced an adult bear to perform as a “ ring bearer ” during a wedding ceremony , the FWC issued a warning against the facility ’ s owner , Monica Welde , for violations of the state ’ s captive wildlife laws .
Florida law requires a physical barrier to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ photos from the March 21 wedding , which were published in The New York Times and Sarasota Magazine , reveal that Welde brought an adult bear named Carroll into dangerously close proximity to attendees .
Adult bears could easily overpower and pull away from someone attempting to control one of them with only a leash , and the animals ’ size , strength , speed , long claws , and large teeth make them particularly dangerous to exhibit publicly .
“ Bears are wild animals who belong in nature , not leashed and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says PETA Foundation Associate Director for Captive Animal Law Enforcement Debbie Metzler .
“ This stunt could easily have ended in tragedy , and PETA hopes this warning will stop Bearadise Ranch from revisiting this misguided money-making scheme.
” Welde—whose permit to keep bears in the state was recently denied by the FWC , pending appeal—also operates a traveling act called Welde ’ s Big Bear Show .
While on the road , the bears are kept inside cramped transport cages in which they can barely turn around , let alone avoid their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re forced to push carts , carry a basketball while walking on their hind legs , pull hoops over their heads , and engage in other unnatural types of behavior .
PETA has repeatedly called on Welde to end the traveling show and move the bears to an accredited sanctuary where they ’ d be free to roam , dig , and forage as they choose , without ever being forced to perform tricks or used in a publicity stunt again .
PETA—whose motto reads , in part , that “ animals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” —opposes speciesism , which is a human-supremacist worldview .
For more information , please visit PETA.org .

Following PETA Complaint, Florida Wildlife Officials Issue Warning for Using Bear in a Wedding—With No Barrier Between Animal and the Public
For Immediate Release:
June 8, 2020
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Myakka City, Fla. – After PETA tipped off the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to a recent stunt in which Bearadise Ranch forced an adult bear to perform as a “ring bearer” during a wedding ceremony, the FWC issued a warning against the facility’s owner, Monica Welde, for violations of the state’s captive wildlife laws.
Florida law requires a physical barrier to be present between captive bears and the public—and photos from the March 21 wedding, which were published in The New York Times and Sarasota Magazine, reveal that Welde brought an adult bear named Carroll into dangerously close proximity to attendees. Adult bears could easily overpower and pull away from someone attempting to control one of them with only a leash, and the animals’ size, strength, speed, long claws, and large teeth make them particularly dangerous to exhibit publicly.
“Bears are wild animals who belong in nature, not leashed and paraded around at a wedding,” says PETA Foundation Associate Director for Captive Animal Law Enforcement Debbie Metzler. “This stunt could easily have ended in tragedy, and PETA hopes this warning will stop Bearadise Ranch from revisiting this misguided money-making scheme.”
Welde—whose permit to keep bears in the state was recently denied by the FWC, pending appeal—also operates a traveling act called Welde’s Big Bear Show. While on the road, the bears are kept inside cramped transport cages in which they can barely turn around, let alone avoid their own waste. During performances, they’re forced to push carts, carry a basketball while walking on their hind legs, pull hoops over their heads, and engage in other unnatural types of behavior. PETA has repeatedly called on Welde to end the traveling show and move the bears to an accredited sanctuary where they’d be free to roam, dig, and forage as they choose, without ever being forced to perform tricks or used in a publicity stunt again.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—opposes speciesism, which is a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org.


petapeoplefortheethicaltreatmentofanimals--2020-06-08--Local Petco Stores Found Skirting State Animal Welfare Law

More Than a Dozen Stores Statewide Warned Over Sick Animals , Dirty Cages , and More ; Stay Away , Says PETA Durham , N.C. – PETA has reviewed damning North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services ( NCDA & CS ) records revealing that 13 Petco locations—including ones in Chapel Hill and Durham—were ordered to improve conditions for animals in order to comply with the state ’ s Animal Welfare Act .
An NCDA & CS inspector at the store in Chapel Hill found waste splattered on a wall , which had apparently not been cleaned in at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found that cats had scratched a sheetrock wall at the store—to which they shouldn ’ t have had access—she “ was told a work order would be issued ” but on re-inspecting “ was told the same ” thing again .
In Mooresville , traces of blood were found in a cat enclosure , and in Kannapolis , two kittens who were sneezing and had eye discharge and a cat whose eyes and nose were runny were on display .
A store in Durham was warned for having exposed wood in a cat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warned over wooden doors on cat enclosures , since wood can ’ t be sanitized to prevent the spread of disease .
When an inspector returned , the manager “ stated that he had put in a request for corporate to replace the doors ” but received “ no response.
” Six weeks later , the agent found that bare wood was still exposed .
“ Any person who takes care of animals is required to provide them with veterinary care , clean living conditions , and other basic necessities , and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ above the law , ” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch .
“ PETA regularly receives reports of bad practices and animal suffering at big-box stores , and our advice to caring consumers is to stay away.
” PETA—whose motto reads , in part , that “ animals are not ours to abuse in any way ” —notes that the NCDA & CS records reveal that Petco stores in Kernersville and Hickory also came under fire for failing to keep adequate records of animals offered for adoption .
Online stores that aren @ @ @ @ @ @ @ animals include Target , PetFlow , and Wag.com .
PETA opposes speciesism , a human-supremacist worldview .
For more information , please visit PETA.org .

More Than a Dozen Stores Statewide Warned Over Sick Animals, Dirty Cages, and More; Stay Away, Says PETA
For Immediate Release:
June 8, 2020
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Durham, N.C. – PETA has reviewed damning North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) records revealing that 13 Petco locations—including ones in Chapel Hill and Durham—were ordered to improve conditions for animals in order to comply with the state’s Animal Welfare Act.
An NCDA&CS inspector at the store in Chapel Hill found waste splattered on a wall, which had apparently not been cleaned in at least five months. When an inspector found that cats had scratched a sheetrock wall at the store—to which they shouldn’t have had access—she “was told a work order would be issued” but on re-inspecting “was told the same” thing again. In Mooresville, traces of blood were found in a cat enclosure, and in Kannapolis, two kittens who were sneezing and had eye discharge and a cat whose eyes and nose were runny were on display.
A store in Durham was warned for having exposed wood in a cat enclosure, and the Greensboro store was warned over wooden doors on cat enclosures, since wood can’t be sanitized to prevent the spread of disease. When an inspector returned, the manager “stated that he had put in a request for corporate to replace the doors” but received “no response.” Six weeks later, the agent found that bare wood was still exposed.
“Any person who takes care of animals is required to provide them with veterinary care, clean living conditions, and other basic necessities, and a billion-dollar company shouldn’t consider itself above the law,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA regularly receives reports of bad practices and animal suffering at big-box stores, and our advice to caring consumers is to stay away.”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—notes that the NCDA&CS records reveal that Petco stores in Kernersville and Hickory also came under fire for failing to keep adequate records of animals offered for adoption.
Online stores that aren’t affiliated with chains that sell animals include Target, PetFlow, and Wag.com.
PETA opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org.