PETA Global Issue 3

EDWARD JAMES OLMOS CRACKS DOWN ON FIREWORKS

Firemen with rescued cat: © Mike Jachles | Fireworks: © iStock.com/Gregory_DUBUS

Noisy explosions may be cool in the movies, but Bade Runner 2049 star Edward James Olmos knows that fireworks can be terrifying to animals. “To [my dog] Moe and other dogs and cats, these deafening b asts really do sound like bombs bursting in air, and they cause many animals to flee in terror,” says Olmos in a public service announcement for PETA and PETA Latino. He urges everyone to comfort companion animals during these stressful celebrations while keeping them safe indoors.

Fire Departments PETA Loves

W hen the sirens sound in Broward County, Florida, firefighters aren’t necessarily responding to fires – they might be rushing to an animal’s aid. Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue Engine (SFRE) 37 raced to rescue a kitten whose pawwas stuck in a metal sewer cap. When they couldn’t free him, they drove him – sewer cap and all – to a veterinary clinic, where they carefully sawed off the metal cap. PETA presented the crewwith a Compassionate Fire Department Award, and the kitten – now named Captain – purred happily in his rescuers’ arms. This wasn’t a one-off rescue for SFRE 37. When a house fire threatened the lives of seven cats, the crew saved them and took them to local veterinarians for treatment for smoke inhalation. When a pelican lay tangled in fishing line beneath a pier, the rescuers carefully wrapped the bird in a towel before untangling the line. And when 18 scared ducklings were trapped in a sewer drain after their mother was killed in traffic, the crew whisked them to safety, too.

distress. In one case, a firefighter rushed into a burning house and emerged carrying a lizard in his arms.

SFRE 37 is not alone. In Colorado, PETA applauded the Florence Fire Department Swift Water Rescue Team after it delivered a man and his dog to dry land when their car was swept away in a flash flood. In California, the Bakersfield Fire Department saved a criticially injured dog from a blazing house and revived him with a specially designed oxygen mask. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service was honored by PETA UK after it mobilized various resources to rescue a donkey who had fallen into a water-filled storm drain, and PETA Asia presented the Suqian Fire Brigade in China with an award for saving a terrified dog trapped in a gap between two buildings.

Take Action Now Keep a rescue kit in your car that includes a towel, a leash, an animal carrier, heavy

For one-size-fits-all presents, visit PETACatalog.com to order PETA’s holiday

gloves, and pop-top cat food. If you find an injured animal, alert authorities right away and stay on the scene until help arrives.

food basket, filled with nondairy cheese, luxurious Tartex vegan pâté, and other festive favorites.

This is reportedly one of the busiest firehouses in the county. Yet the crew takes the time to help animals in

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