Can you taste the tears in your McRib? The supplier of pork products to McDonald’s, Smithfield Farms, just got hit by a complaint filed with the SEC by animal rights group Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Citing their own shocking undercover investigative video, HSUS allege that Smithfield is making false and misleading claims to shareholders and consumers about how well they treat their pigs and that those claims are in violation of federal securities law. [More]
animal rights
West Hollywood To Ban Retail Sales Of Cats And Dogs
By 2.16.10
West Hollywood has a history of animal rights activism, culminating most recently in the 2003 ban on declawing cats. Tonight, the city council is expected to pass an ordinance that will ban pet stores from selling cats and dogs, reports the Los Angeles Times. If enacted, it will be the second place that bans such business after South Lake Tahoe, which is also in California but right up against the Nevada border. “Humanely bred, reared, or sheltered animals” would be exempt, notes the paper. Also worth noting: there are no pet stores within the city limits. [More]
Lord & Taylor Bans Items Containing Canine Fur
By 12.5.09
Poor raccoon dogs. For a long time, they’ve suffered a severe identity crisis at the hands of the fashion industry. Their fur has been mislabeled as “raccoon” fur on clothing labels, and even more insulting, as faux fur by some labels. That’s an insult not just to the canines, but to conscientious shoppers who think they’re buying items with fake fur trim. Another retailer, Lord & Taylor, has joined J.C. Penney in promising to stop selling products that contain the critters, but mislabeling runs rampant. [More]
Petland Employees Drowned Rabbits, Posted Photos on Facebook
By 8.5.09
We’ve written about pet store chain Petland before, due to their documented use of puppy mills and snarky response to groups that protested said use of puppy mills. Now PETA claims to have found photos on a Petland employee’s Facebook page that show her grinning while holding up the wet, lifeless bodies of two rabbits she had just drowned.
Petland Sends Really Snarky Email To Puppy Mill Protesters
By 1.23.09
Who knew Petland could be so snarky? Here’s a really bitchy email Chris Beth, their director of Regional Operations, sent the head of a group of protesters who have been demonstrating outside a Petland store in Plano Texas over Petland’s alleged use of puppy mills. Bet he never thought it would end up on the internets:
Like Horses? Don't Ride NYC Carriages
By 9.7.07
The next time you visit the Big Apple, you might want to steer clear of those romantic carriage rides through Central Park if you’re an animal lover. According to WCBS TV, “A New York City report says the horses that take passengers on carriage rides in Central Park and around Manhattan work without enough water, shade or veterinary exams.” The report, the first of its kind by the city, was prompted after a carriage horse collapsed and died last summer in front of onlookers.
Anger God by Eating Foie Gras
By 9.20.06
Chicago’s city council drew praise from some quarters, ridicule from others, when it passed a law making foie gras, the enlarged liver of a force-fed goose or duck, illegal. Better yet, the enforcement mechanism of citizen’s arrest was reminiscent of a culinary Charles Bronson movie.
