PETA Global 2017 Issue 1

Chinese Celebrities Advocate Kindness

CHINA

Several popular Chinese celebrities – including Golden Bell Award winner Bo-Lin Chen; Show Luo, the “Dancing King of Asia”; and Wu Xiubo, aka “Stylish Uncle” – have starred in PETA Asia’s eye-catching ads to promote shelter adoptions, vegan fare, faux fur, and compassionate living.

Sheep: © iStock.com/Enjoylife2 | Cow: © iStock.com/yod67 | Chinese celebrities (left to right): Chen Bolin: © Joshua Lin,Wu Xiubo: © Li Weiming, Show Luo: © Lin Wei Cheng

AUSTRALIA

Other companies that have agreed to take steps to stop dehorning after discussions with PETA include Dean Foods, one of the largest dairy processors in the US, with more than 50 dairy brands; Chobani, a top-selling yogurt brand; ALDI US, with more than 1,500 stores across 33 states; and Mondelēz International, whose brands include Cadbury, Nabisco, and Oreo. PETA also enlisted some of its high-profile pals, including actor Ryan Gosling, who contacted the National Milk Producers Federation, prompting it to upgrade its oversight program by asking all farmers whether they are breeding hornless cows. An End to Cruel Dehorning Is Near, Thanks to PETA

Nabbed! Historic Guilty Pleas in Sheep Shearing Cases

One shearer in Australia has pleaded guilty in the first cruelty-to-animals case of its kind in history, seven other shearers are facing charges, and up to 40 shearers were cautioned by authorities. This all follows the release of a PETA video exposé documenting that wool industry workers beat sheep in the face with electric clippers and punched and stomped on their heads and necks. The convicted man has been banned from shearing or handling farmed animals for two years and has been ordered to donate $500 to the RSPCA. The investigation included video footage of 235 incidents recorded in one Australian state alone, as well as more than 40 pages of formal legal complaints.

After Shake Shack heard from PETA, which owns shares in the company, the fast-casual restaurant chain amended its animal-welfare policy to encourage suppliers to use selective breeding in order to eliminate dehorning. This painful mutilation involves, among other things, jamming searing-hot irons into calves' heads to destroy the tissue that would otherwise develop into horns. While PETA encourages everyone to choose vegan milks and cheeses, it also pushes companies to support breeding for polled, or naturally hornless, cattle as an interim measure that would spare calves the ordeal of dehorning.

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