OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY — Matt J. Whitworth, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Nevada company and its owners pleaded guilty in federal court today to distributing a tainted ingredient used to make pet food, which resulted in a nationwide recall of pet food and the death and serious illness of countless pets across the United States in 2007. http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/mow/news2009/miller.ple.htm

BBC News — Doctors treating dog and cat bites should be aware of the risks of MRSA infection, US researchers have warned. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8109314.stm

BBC News — A cat has survived being trapped inside a 20ft industrial storage container for more than a month. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/tayside_and_central/8105504.stm

BBC News — Rats are able to play the odds in a “gambling task” designed by scientists to test the biology of addiction. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8105963.stm

ehow / CC

That’s the number of glue traps—123—that have now been removed from the shelves of Gelson’s Supermarkets in Southern California thanks to PETA member Renee Papadapolous.

Renee’s letter to Gelson’s—in which she described how mice and other animals suffer hemorrhaging, shock, and other horrors when stuck in “pans of pain“—earned a speedy reply from the chain. She admits, “I was actually surprised at the quick, positive, and friendly response ….”

Friendly indeed! Gelson’s immediately assured Renee that it would stop selling glue traps as soon as its current stock ran out. Thankful that Gelson’s was taking such swift action, Renee still thought that something more could be done, so she offered to buy the chain’s remaining stock of 123 glue traps. The entire stock was shipped to her, and she destroyed them.

Renee’s refusal to rest until rodents were spared has earned her our “Compassionate Action Award”—it’s also a reminder that one person really can make a difference for animals by taking action.
Now are you ready? One … two … three … go!

Posted by Karin Bennett

Members of the lunch crowd at a McDonald’s in Providence, Rhode Island, probably weren’t expecting to be greeted by a giant “chicken” bearing “Unhappy Meals” when they headed out on their lunch breaks. But hardly anyone could resist the lure of our chicken, and word is that almost every driver stopped to talk with the big bird and his posse. Many people even went elsewhere for lunch once they learned how countless chickens are forced to suffer painful broken bones, bruises, and scalding—while they’re still alive—at slaughterhouses run by McDonald’s suppliers.

None of this chicken’s relatives were harmed in the making of our “Unhappy Meals.”

It’s hard to tell by her shocked face if she’s opening one of our “Unhappy Meals” or a far more gruesome McNugget box.

I’m not sure what a “Brownie Meit” is, but I’m sticking with Allison’s Gourmet’s vegan Brownie of the Month, regardless.

Demonstrators are revved up to distribute leaflets all summer long. Get in on the action and help bring McDonald’s to its knees. Sign up for our Action Team today!

Posted by Karin Bennett

Through the Freedom of Information Act, the Physician’s Committeee for Responsible Medicine (PRCM) has obtained video footage of several Department of Defense military trauma training exercises.

In training exercises that are supposed to simulate the effects of a nerve agent attack, monkeys experience seizures and difficulty breathing. In another exercise, live goats are cut open—causing severe bleeding—while the instructor repeatedly acknowledges the differences between the training and human casualties. All this suffering is inflicted in order to train military medics—who would learn more if they were provided with state-of-the-art simulators and rotations in trauma hospitals.

We have been working hard to eliminate these cruel exercises in the U.S. and in countries around the globe. After PETA campaigned against cruel dog stabbings, Bolivia banned all animal use from military training. Now, Georgia Congressmember Hank Johnson, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, is calling on the Army to phase out antiquated trauma training on animals.

Urge your congressperson to co-sign Congressmember Hank Johnson’s letter and help put an end to the military’s war on animals.

Posted by Karin Bennett

This Sunday is Father’s Day, which means that dads who don’t know any better may be taking their kids fishing. Anglers run the risk of eating someone’s father (or mother) every time they rip a sea kitten out of the water, and that doesn’t sound like a very good way to celebrate fatherhood to me.

To help spread the truth about fishing, we sent a former fisher and his giant finned friend to Fort Myers Beach in Florida. Check out the pics, and don’t forget to wish your dad a happy Father’s Day!

Repentant former angler Bryan Wilson and Sammy the Sea Kitten hit the pier to let people know that fish feel pain and fear just like dogs and cats do.

Sammy made some new friends …

… and issued a warning to his aquatic brethren.

This little animal lover could never eat a sea kitten!

Posted by Lianne Turner

Pollution in the Mekong River has pushed the local population of Irrawaddy dolphins to the brink of extinction, a new report by WWF has revealed.

• The dolphin necropsy report in Khmer and English
• Broadcast quality footage of the dolphins swimming the Mekong River at Cambodia.

• High quality photos of the dolphins playing in the Mekong River in Cambodia.

22.06.09 If you know a business that is putting animal welfare first, nominate them now and they could be a winner in this year’s RSPCA Good Business Awards.