PETA: People Executing Tame Animals
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Editor's Note: Saddle Horse Report Online is posting this article, with permission, as it appeared on www.townhall.com.
Shocking news from rural
North Carolina late last week -- the story of two People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) employees caught killing and dumping 31 dogs and cats -- has left animal-rights activists from coast to coast scratching their heads.
While PETA lectures Americans about the “evils” of eating meat, wearing wool, taking children to the circus, and using lab rats to help cure cancer, the group puts to death most of the actual flesh-and-blood animals entrusted to it by the public. And judging from the 62 felony charges handed down last week, the manner in which some of these animals were executed and disposed of appears to be anything but “ethical.”
As we’re finding out from the North Carolina case, PETA picks up dogs, cats, puppies and kittens from shelters and veterinarians, often with assurances that new homes will be found for them. But in 2003, PETA killed over 85 percent of the animals it took in.
In North Carolina, the animals -- including at least seven puppies and two kittens -- were dead less than an hour after two PETA employees picked them up. All 31 were killed in a windowless cage-lined van, apparently with drugs the PETA pair were not legally authorized to dispense. And authorities say the self-proclaimed more-ethical-than-thou PETA discarded their bodies ingloriously (and illegally) in a strip-mall dumpster.
If anyone else were responsible for these animals’ deaths, PETA would hold a press conference to condemn them. Instead, it’s desperately scrambling to preserve what’s left of its public image.
PETA has acknowledged killing over 10,000 animals between 1998 and 2003; recent reporting suggests PETA added 2,200 more to its body count in 2004. All while presiding over a fundraising operation that brought in nearly $29 million last year.
With that kind of money, PETA could afford to care for every single one of the animals it picks up -- if it weren’t spending millions turning children into vegetarians, demonizing people who don’t have an all-polyester wardrobe, and misleading Americans about the medical breakthroughs that have only come about through the use of research animals. PETA even pays for the bail and legal expenses of animals activists who -- like this week’s unintentional celebrities -- run afoul of the law.
It’s time for Americans who want to help animals to stop sending money to PETA, and start supporting their local animal shelters instead. You can help. Visit www.PetaKillsAnimals.com to learn the whole story. If you know any PETA members, tell them about their group’s disgraceful behavior.
Consider making a small donation to help the Center for Consumer Freedom tell Congress, the media, and ordinary Americans that PETA’s warm-and-fuzzy image is a deadly sham.
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