Q’s Corner: PETA
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an organization that purports to support animal rights, but is actually more like an animal hate group intent on eradicating the living beings it claims to protect.
The organization was in the news for releasing a tweet on Feb. 22 criticizing Google for creating a Google Doodle in honor of the late Steve Irwin’s 57th birthday.
What’s worse is that PETA didn’t just stop at that one tweet, it kept going with several more tweets attacking Irwin; the organization was determined to further dig the hole it seems to have made its home in.
Irwin was a wildlife conservationist and host of the popular TV series “The Crocodile Hunter,” which ran from 1996-2007 after Irwin’s death in 2006. Irwin was known for his liberal use of the word “crikey” and for getting up close and personal with the wildlife he exhibited in his show. Irwin was extremely passionate about wildlife, and he devoted his life to preserving it and bringing knowledge and understanding of it into the homes of people in over 100 countries through his show.
“The Crocodile Hunter” was an advocate for wildlife preservation, which is why it’s so infuriating that PETA, an organization that kidnaps beloved family pets from their homes and murders them, according to Huffington Post, would have the gall to criticize him. In November 2014, two PETA employees were caught on video removing a family’s dog from their porch and then euthanizing it later that day. PETA later settled with the family on behalf of its employees in August 2017.
The organization has no redeeming value. PETA operates a so-called “shelter” out of Virginia, but what they call a shelter would be better described as a slaughterhouse. In 2018, PETA euthanized 71.7 percent of the animals placed there. The organization killed nearly 1,800 animals in one year alone.
Since 1998, this shelter has murdered 39,961 animals, and that’s just from official records. A former employee revealed that the organization encourages its employees to steal and kill pets and then falsify records of said actions.
PETA also attempts to actively stifle journalists who seek to expose and criticize the actions of the organization and its employees.
In honor of Irwin and other great conservationists and the good of all animals, PETA needs to be shut down permanently and with great prejudice.
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Craig Shapiro • Mar 1, 2019 at 3:41 pm
Wrong. Steve Irwin’s brand was himself and animals were his props.
Lucy Post • Mar 1, 2019 at 1:32 pm
PETA is not a traditional animal shelter. They operate one small shelter—a shelter of last resort for animals who need euthanasia to end their suffering (many of whom have been rejected by other facilities), including dogs who are aggressive and unadoptable because they have been kept chained their entire lives; feral cats dying of contagious diseases; animals who are wracked with cancer; elderly animals who have no quality of life and whose desperate guardians brought them to PETA because they can’t afford to pay a vet to euthanize them; and the list goes on. A painless end is a kindness for these animals, and the services PETA provides are vitally needed in an area where many people can’t afford to take their animals to a veterinarian. This video explains more about PETA’s work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XZZnK7G2Y0
The owner of the dog you reference, Maya, has acknowledged in a written statement that he realizes that her death was a tragic mistake, and his family has expressed gratitude to PETA for its services to the community. PETA spends millions on free and low-cost care for local families and their animals, including emergency veterinary care; flea, tick, and flystrike preventive medications; and free spaying and neutering to prevent animal homelessness, as well as replacing inadequate shelter, like metal drums, with doghouses and straw bedding in winter and answering emergency calls for assistance, such as free euthanasia services and end-of-life care for those with no funds to pay for it. PETA made a donation to the Virginia Beach SPCA in Maya’s honor.
AMD • Mar 1, 2019 at 1:26 pm
I entirely support PETA and the valuable work they do to protect animals and further the animal rights movement. Because of PETA, countless animals have been spared from suffering in terrible laboratories, in awful animal experiments, in circuses, and in so many places where animals are routinely abused. Not to mention the PETA’s role in propelling the vegan movement. PETA has done a tremendous amount of good for animals and we should be applauding, thanking, and supporting them.
Kim Marie • Mar 1, 2019 at 1:23 pm
I think PETA’s comment was completely justified. Irwin made a fortune from harassing animals, which isn’t heroic, it’s cowardly and cruel.