Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey returns to San Francisco this weekend. And PETA will be here, too to claim the circus hog-ties, yanks, and electroshocks baby elephants as part of their training. The animal rights group will picket the Cow Palace Thursday.

PETA has been hounding Ringling for years with baby elephant torture allegations. Ringling owner Feld Entertainment has responded, saying the circus is committed to "ensuring the absolute best for its animals."

During its Thursday picket, PETA protesters will carry photographs showing baby elephants in chains, and being prodded by trainers. The animals are cruelly torn from their mothers, then chained for what is sometimes months to break their spirits and turn them into malleable performers, PETA alleges.

We've contacted the company requesting comment on the electro-shock and chaining accusations, and will report when we hear back.

Here's a link to a PETA gallery of tortured elephant calf photos, purportedly taken at Ringling Bros. training facilities.

April 22, 2011

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is seeking a court order to force Merck & Co. Inc. to include a resolution from the animal rights group in materials for the pharmaceutical company’s annual shareholder meeting.

PETA holds 101 shares of Merck, according to a complaint (PDF) seeking injunctive relief filed yesterday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The group is accusing the company of wrongfully denying its request to include a resolution in the proxy materials that calls on Merck to disclose use of animal testing in in-house and contracted research.

Leveraging stock ownership to pursue advocacy goals, known as shareholder activism or advocacy, is nothing new for PETA, which owns shares in 35 corporations, according to in-house attorney Susan Hall.

However, while companies often resist PETA’s attempts to use its shareholder status, she said, this lawsuit marks the first time PETA is taking a corporation to court over the denial of a request to include a resolution in shareholder proxy materials.

Merck’s annual shareholder meeting is scheduled for May 24. PETA is asking the court to force Merck to include its resolution in the proxy materials for the meeting, or else compel Merck to hold a special meeting to present PETA’s resolution to other shareholders.

According to PETA’s complaint, Merck contested PETA’s request on the grounds that they had failed to prove shareholder status. Merck merged with Schering-Plough Corp. on Nov. 3, 2009, and, according to the complaint, had told PETA that they needed to prove ownership in Schering-Plough to be eligible.

Hall said that under U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rules, PETA needs to prove ownership of stock for one year prior to filing its request for inclusion in proxy materials in order to be eligible. Since the merger took place on Nov. 3, 2009 and PETA submitted its resolution on Nov. 17, 2010, Hall said Merck is in the wrong in requiring PETA to also prove ownership of Schering-Plough shares.

According to the complaint, PETA also maintains that it meets the eligibility threshold of holding at least $2,000 or 1 percent of Merck.

PETA had originally submitted its proposal on Oct. 28, but claims in their complaint that they formally withdrew it and refiled on Nov. 17 in order to comply with Merck’s other objection that PETA was making multiple proposals when they were limited to making one.

Merck did not have counsel listed as of Friday, and a company representative was not immediately available for comment.

Read the original article here.

BRUNSWICK, Maine — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is recognizing Bowdoin College for the vegetarian and vegan offerings in its dining halls.

PETA says it is giving Bowdoin's dining services a "compassionate campus" award for its "Meatless Monday" event in February, when the Brunswick College dished up only meatless meals to more than 1,000 students.

Dan Shannon is the director of PETA2, the student wing of PETA that is giving out the award. He says demand for vegan and vegetarian food is growing on the nation's college campuses and that more than 20 major universities regularly hold "Meatless Monday" events in their cafeterias.

PETA, which is based in Norfolk, Va., is the world's largest animal rights organization.

Read the original article here.

March 9, 2011

Animal rights group peacefully opposes boxing great Mike Tyson's publicized passion for pigeon racing

HENDERSON, Nevada - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals demonstrated outside Mike Tyson's suburban home to protest the former boxing champion's role in pigeon racing.

Henderson police spokesman Todd Rasmussen said Tuesday the PETA demonstration on Monday outside Tyson's gated hillside neighborhood was peaceful.

Mike Tyson shows love of racing pigeons on his show
PETA slams Mike Tyson for his pigeon-racing TV show

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that some of the 20 protesters carried signs reading, "Featherweights: No match for a Heavyweight," and "Mike doesn't give pigeons a fighting chance."

An attempt to reach Tyson through his wife on Tuesday was not successful.

Tyson has been a pigeon racing breeder and fan since childhood in Brooklyn, New York City.

"The first thing I ever loved in my life was a pigeon," the 44-year-old says in the documentary. "I don't know why...I feel ridiculous trying to explain it. Pigeons are a part of my life. It's a constant with my sanity in a weird way; this is just what I do. If I'm lucky enough to die an old man, I'm going to have birds."

PETA's Lisa Lange says the protest followed Sunday night's debut of the Animal Planet show, "Taking on Tyson." It features Tyson competing with pigeon racers in the New York City area.

Read the original article here.