Macrobolic’s BodyBlog

NBA star Ron Artest has a reputation for being tough on and off the court, but the Sacramento Kings forward has a soft spot when it comes to animals. Familiar with the dog and cat overpopulation crisis, Artest knew he had to speak up. Never one to sit quietly and watch from the sidelines, Artest chose to get involved by posing for PETA’s Animal Birth Control (ABC) campaign and—with the help of a sweet pooch named John Henry—is urging his fans to “have the balls to spay or neuter your dog.”

   In his interview with PETA, Artest talks about the importance of spaying and neutering and what he thinks about dogfighting. He also gives some great advice: “You can volunteer your time … just by going to walk the doggies [at your local animal shelter], ’cause they’re just happy to be around someone to touch them.”

Every year in the United States, open-admission animal shelters across the nation are forced to put to death nearly half of the 6 million to 8 million unwanted dogs and cats who pour into their overwhelmed facilities.

PETA’s ABC campaign tackles the issue of companion animal overpopulation. The campaign urges people to do their part by taking simple steps to help end this crisis, particularly by always spaying and neutering their companion animals and by never buying animals from a pet store or a breeder.

Join Artest in being a part of the solution. Sign our pledge saying that you will never buy an animal from a pet store or a breeder again and that you will always practice your ABCs by having your companion animals spayed or neutered.

Artest launched this ad to support California’s latest bill to help animals, The Healthy Pets Act. This bill will ensure that all animal guardians follow their ABCs by having their companion animals spayed or neutered.

Enter to win! In addition to posing for this important ad, Artest took the time to sign some gear for us to give away! Fill out the form below to enter to win a Sacramento Kings NBA jersey, the basketball used in the ad, and a pair of Artest’s sneakers, all signed by Artest. One runner-up will receive a signed jersey as well. The entry deadline is May 16th, and winners will be contacted via e-mail on May 21st.

Every year, PETA receives numerous requests from all over the country from caring people who have found injured or orphaned wildlife and are looking for a place to take them for care. We are glad to know that there are people willing to help these animals because there is certainly a need for it!

Unfortunately, well-meaning people with the best of intentions often “rescue” young animals, when in fact, these baby birds and mammals are perfectly fine and their parents are probably foraging for food nearby. In most cases, young wild animals should be left alone. However, when in doubt, please use the following recommendations as a guide on how you can best determine whether a young animal needs help, and if so, what to do.

Be prepared! Keep the following items in your vehicle at all times so you’ll be ready to respond should you encounter an animal in distress:

• Carrier (medium-sized), cardboard or plastic
• Towel or blanket (with no strings or loops)
• Net
• Leash
• Broom (you can use to gently coax a wild animal into a carrier or away from a dangerous area)
• Wet and dry cat food
• Directions to local animal control bureaus, 24-hour emergency veterinary hospitals, and wildlife rehabilitators (to find your local wildlife rehabilitators, please click here)

Determine if the animal really needs help! If you see a young animal, it is important to resist the temptation to interfere unless the animal is clearly sick, hurt, orphaned, or in immediate danger—you may do more harm than good by removing a young animal from his or her parents. Young animals’ best chance of survival is in the care of their parents!

If immediate action is deemed necessary, the following are some steps that you can take to help.

Nestling Songbirds

• It is not true that parent birds will reject or kill their babies because a human has touched them. Fallen nestlings—babies with no feathers, a little fuzz, or pinfeathers—can be returned to the nest if they aren’t injured or very weak. You may need to drop a small towel gently over them and lift them carefully to the nest. If you don’t have a towel, rub your hands in some dirt, then pick the babies up and put them in the nest.
• Parents of nestlings will continue to feed their young if the nest has been disturbed or moved as long as it is left undisturbed and safe and near its original site. Mother birds usually feed their babies every five minutes or so, and it is extremely rare for a mother bird to be away from the nest for more than 15 minutes. Watch quietly from a distance for several hours; take nestlings only if it is clear that they have been abandoned or are injured or in immediate danger from cats or other animals.
• If you either can’t see or can’t reach the original nest, you can make a surrogate home for nestlings out of a small basket, kitchen strainer or small plastic container with holes punched in the bottom. Line it with shredded tissue paper—don’t use cotton, grass, hay, straw (they can cause respiratory problems), or old birds’ nests (which can contain parasites). Hang it in a sheltered place close to the original location—no farther than 5 feet, if possible. Get out of sight and watch to make sure the parents return.
• If nestlings cannot be put in such a substitute nest or returned to their original nest or if their parents don’t return, they need a soft, snug, cup-shaped container, such as a margarine tub. Warm chilled babies in your hands, then put them in the tissue-nest container, and put that on a heating pad (low setting) or under a light. Do not let nestlings get too hot! If they stretch out and pant, reduce the heat immediately. Put the nest in a larger, well-ventilated box (make small holes in it if necessary) and place the box in a warm, quiet, safe place.
• Handle the birds only when necessary. What they need most is warmth, quiet, darkness, and nutrition. Checking on them too often (which is a great temptation!) subjects them to avoidable stress. Never allow children to play with them!

Fledgling Songbirds

• Fledglings—young birds who are mostly feathered and learning to fly—can be moved a short distance to a tree or dense shrub to keep them safe from traffic and cats. Fledglings’ parents are usually close by so never attempt to rescue fledglings unless they are in immediate danger; their parents are the best ones to teach them to survive in the wild.
• If fledglings must be rescued, they need safe, roomy cages with sticks from the yard as perches, fastened securely. A cardboard box with sticks fastened through it and a screen cover will do in a pinch. Fledglings don’t usually need extra warmth, but they do need quiet.
• Fledglings will probably be much more fearful of you at first than nestlings, so as with nestlings, fledglings should be handled as little as possible. Do not give liquid to fledglings—it can do more harm than good.

Rabbits

• Cottontail rabbits make their nests in small depressions in the grass. The nests are lined with fur from the mother and loosely covered with grass. They are frequently disturbed by people when they are mowing their grass or raking. In addition, dogs and cats find these nests and often kill or injure the babies.
• If a nest is discovered or disturbed, place the baby rabbits back in the nest and leave them there unless they are injured or if you are certain that the mother has been killed. Many people assume a mother is dead simply because they have not seen the mother return to the nest in quite some time, but this is completely normal. Female cottontails usually only come to feed their young twice a day, at dawn and dusk, because this decreases the chance of alerting predators to the nest’s location. If you are not sure if the mother is coming back to feed them, try placing a string over the nest. If the string has not moved by the following morning, the mother has not returned. Also, if the babies are cool and appear very hungry, place them in a warm, dark box with a towel, and place the box in a quiet place and contact a wildlife rehabilitator immediately.
• Young cottontail rabbits should only be rescued as a last resort. Baby rabbits have a high death rate when hand-raised, due in great part to the stress of handling by humans. People are NOT doing the babies any favors by attempting to raise them themselves. It usually only ends in sadness and frustration. Again, they need special diets, care, and antibiotics if they are to have any chance at survival. Also, when baby rabbits are about 5 inches long, they are totally on their own and away from their mother. These rabbits do not need to be taken in unless they are injured. A good rule of thumb is, if you can’t catch a rabbit without a chase, then he or she does NOT need to be rescued!

Squirrels

• Young squirrels are often found after a nest has been blown down from a tree following a storm. The best thing you can do in order to reunite the young with their mother is to place the baby squirrels in a box and set the box at the base of the tree. The mother will usually retrieve the young and transport them to a safer location but only if she feels safe. Please resist the temptation to check on the baby squirrels frequently, and be sure to keep dogs, cats, and children away. It may be necessary to keep the young squirrels indoors overnight and then try reuniting them with their mother again the next day. Either way, it is always best to call your local wildlife rehabilitator for instructions and advice.

After the young birds or mammals are comfortable, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CARE FOR THE ANIMALS YOURSELF! Please call your local wildlife rehabilitation center and transport the baby animals for care IMMEDIATELY. Please click here to find your local wildlife rehabilitation center.

All birds and their nests, with the exception of pigeons, starlings, grackles, and English house sparrows, are protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). If you or anyone else is caught attempting to care for a federally protected bird without a rehabilitation permit, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service could charge you with MBTA violations. Fines for violating the MBTA are substantial, so please contact a wildlife rehabilitation center and transport the animals for care immediately.

For more detailed instructions on what to do if you find a baby mammal or baby bird, please click on following link to the National Wildlife Rehabilitation Council’s Web site at http://www.nwrawildlife.org/page.asp?ID=22.

You know that singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton is a talented, Grammy-nominated musician whose latest studio album, Heroes and Thieves, is a must-hear for any music lover. But did you know that Vanessa is also a hero for animals and always has her companion animals spayed or neutered? It’s true. Vanessa knows that practicing your ABCs (Animal Birth Control) is the best way to end animal homelessness, and she has posed in our new ad to help get this important message out.

Alongside the tagline “Hats Off for Getting Fixed,” Vanessa tips her hat to her dog Victor for being a lifesaver by getting neutered.

Vanessa’s ad is part of PETA’s Animal Birth Control (ABC) campaign, which tackles the issue of companion animal overpopulation and urges people to do their part by taking simple steps to help end this crisis.

Vanessa tells us more about the costar of her ad, her beloved Victor, and about how important animal birth control is to saving lives.

PETA: Tell us a little bit about Victor. What are some of the things that you enjoy doing together?

Vanessa: Lord Victor is an extremely handsome little man. Though he is quite humble, he definitely has a mesmerizing effect on the ladies. He is a professional cuddler and world traveler. He’s overjoyed when we stumble upon a rare twig on the city sidewalks. He loves to gather these sticks and bring them home, where he then proceeds to chew them up and inevitably regurgitate them. Another pastime that we both enjoy is making cocktails. When he hears the clank of ice cubes, he rushes over to the freezer. I give him a cube, and he proudly prances over to his bed, where he revels in the crunchy goodness.

PETA: Why is PETA’s ABC campaign important to you?

Vanessa: Most of the most well-adjusted and emotionally balanced dogs and cats are the mixed breeds found in shelters. Even if you’re taking in an abused pet, the reward in rehabilitating the animal can be profound. I hope that this campaign will influence the way people buy and maintain their animals. Bottom line—always go to a shelter first. Personally, I think spaying and neutering should be an enforced law.

We couldn’t have said it better! Close to 4 million dogs and cats are euthanized in animal shelters each year because there are simply not enough good homes. The good news is that we can all do something to help. Never buy a companion animal from a pet store or a breeder, and always have your animals spayed or neutered.

Take action now to start saving lives! Sign PETA’s petition to pledge to end animal homelessness today.

Seal hunt cruelty persists despite new regulations Meet IFAW Staff working on the font lines IFAW has an international team of dedicated campaigners working to protect animals around the world. Sheryl Fink, Senior Research & Projects Specialist, works on IFAW’s campaign to end the commercial seal hunt in Canada. An Interview with Sheryl Fink… Once again this year, an IFAW team traveled to the ice floes off Canada’s East Coast to monitor the largest hunt for marine mammals in the world, which began on March 28. The Total Allowable Catch set by the Canadian government was 275,000 seals; 5,000 more than last year. At the same time that Canadian officials were visiting Europe to herald this year as the most humane seal hunt ever, IFAW was witnessing and documenting unacceptable instances of cruelty on the ice. The government touted new killing regulations called the “3-step process” (stun/shoot, check, bleed out) to try to refute the growing international criticism of the hunt, but IFAW’s video evidence clearly shows that the 3-step process is not being followed by sealers. “Based on what we’ve seen, it’s ‘business as usual,’” said Sheryl Fink, IFAW hunt observer and senior researcher. “The rush to club as many seals as possible in a short period of time, combined with slippery ice conditions means that, once again, animal welfare takes a back seat to profit.” IFAW’s documentation of what really happened out on the ice this year generated worldwide media coverage, while legislative efforts to ban seal product imports continue to build in Europe. IFAW’s relentless lobbying has already helped secure bans in several countries, while legislation is pending in many others. Learn more about how you can help end the hunt

Buy an “I Love Seals” T-shirt! Show your support for IFAW’s campaign to end the commercial seal hunt by donating $25 to receive an “I Love Seals” t-shirt. The t-shirts are made by American Apparel and are ‘girly’ fit, women’s sizes S-XL. Order yours today

African Nations Sign Monumental Declaration to Protect Elephants Bamako Declaration unites African nations in elephant conservation Michael Wamithi, IFAW; James Isiche, IFAW; Bourama Niagate, Director of National Parks and Reserves Biosphere in Mali and Kevin Shields, IFAW at the Elephant Coalition Meeting in Mali. The Mali Minister for Environment & Sanitation, Agatham Ag Alhassan, center, closes the meeting. On his left is Col Alsanne Boncana Maiga, Advisor for Environment in Mali,and on his right, Kevin Shields of IFAW. Representatives from 17 African states gathered in Bamako, Mali on February 6-7 to sign the monumental Bamako Declaration, which not only protects elephants for years to come, but strengthens the spirit of cooperation between African elephant range states. The meeting followed decisions at the 14th Conference of the Parties of CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species) to allow huge ivory stock sales, which will take place before commencement of a nine-year trade suspension. IFAW facilitated the Bamako meeting, which included representatives from Mali, Niger, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, Cameroun, Ivory Coast, Togo, Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Central African Republic, Rwanda, Southern Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya. The Governments of Mali and Kenya hosted the meeting. “This is a momentous occasion in the world of elephant conservation,” stated Michael Wamithi, Programme Manager for IFAW’s global elephant campaign. “Numerous African countries have come together and essentially proclaimed that they will not stand for their wildlife to be decimated any longer.” Read the full story

Mdzananda Clinic in South Africa Meets Skyrocketing Needs A tale of long distance love Debbie Campbell, a veterinarian from the USA who visited an IFAW clinic in South Africa, became so attached to two desperately sad little puppies, that she took them back home to the States with her! One had badly crooked front legs, and she nursed the other through a severe illness. Enter Debbie’s friend Lana Mendelsohn, a professional photographer from Boston whose dog, Otis, had recently passed away. Lana adopted one of the puppies, who is now full grown and allegedly the “most spoiled dog in the universe”! Veterinary services for dogs and cats are plentiful in the main part of Cape Town, South Africa. But it’s a different story when you leave the famous beachfront areas and head inland to the sprawling, impoverished community of Khayelitsha, where one-third of the city’s three million people live. Mdzananda is the only veterinary clinic that operates in Cape Town’s most populous settlement. Mdzananda clinic is extremely busy, providing everything from spay/neuter operations to tick dipping and basic veterinary care. The staff also provides mobile services to those who need them most but can’t visit the clinic because they are too poor to get there. Since our donors first partnered with IFAW on Mdzananda in 2003, the number of dogs and cats treated has skyrocketed, and so has the demand. The monthly average of animals treated during 2007 went up by 50 percent. In the last year alone, more than 4,100 animals were treated, almost 3,000 were dewormed and 1,600 dogs and cats were sterilized. This is an amazing achievement for a clinic with just one veterinarian and a small staff. Mdzananda has come a long way in its first decade, but this clinic must do more to meet increased needs. Through the generous support of donors, IFAW will be able to hire more veterinarians, fill the clinic’s scant shelves with medical supplies, and install the equipment needed to bring an animal back from the brink of death. More about Mdzananda and IFAW’s work in South Africa

National Update - Orcas of Robson Bight Still Need You

	Help us save orca habitat in Robson Bight ecological reserve!

Earlier this month we asked you to contact Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Loyola Hearn to request that the Government raise the potentially hazardous wreckage at Robson Bight ecological reserve. After receiving close to 1,400 emails from IFAW supporters, Minister Hearn and BC Environment Minister Barry Penner announced their plans to salvage the wreckage. Unfortunately there is a question of whether this will happen in time. If the tanker with its toxic cargo can be removed before the orcas return in mid-June the orcas will be safe, but if it happens later the tanker will continue to corrode and the chances of another disastrous oil spill will increase. Once the orcas have returned, they will remain though the late fall; if the recovery operation is delayed until after the orcas leave the area, weather conditions may make it impossible this year.

Please write to Ministers Hearn & Penner, thanking them for the decision and insisting that they urgently do what is needed to get the tanker out of the water before the orcas return in mid-June .

Macro’s Final Review of Bold 200 + Testabolan

Date: Apr 13, 2008
Name: Rest/Weigh in

Notes: Alright. The moment of truth. How did I do on my gains in 6 weeks. Well, I can tell you that I have never had gains like this before. They were, in a word, incredible. I basically doubled my weight gain goal at the beginning of this log and I did keep the fat gain to a minimum (especially with the diet I ate the last bit of this log, that was a feat in and of itself!).

So here they are, the before and after (remember, these are taken cold and relaxed):

Height:
5′8″

Weight:
Before: 190.5lbs
After: 207.5lbs
+17lbs

Bodyfat%:
Before: 18.3
After: 19.4
+1.1%

Chest:
Before: 43.75″
After: 44.5″
+0.75″

Upper Arms:
Before: 14.75″
After: 15.25″
+0.5″

Waist:
Before: 35″
After: 36.5″
+1.5″

Thighs:
Before: 23.5″
After: 24.75″
+1.25″

Calves:
Before: 15″
After: 15.5″
+0.5″

Forearms:
Before: 12″
After: 12″
+0″, No change

Like you can see, I had the biggest gains in my lats, chest, and quads. I had people actually tell me that my lats looked much bigger than before.

Now, for the changes in select lifts:

EORM=Estimated One Rep Max

Front Squat:
Start: 205×9, EORM: 264
Finish: 210×13, EORM: >303

Bench Press:
Start: 205×7, EORM: 246
Finish: 215×11, EORM: 298

Incline DB Press:
Start: 75×8, EORM: 93
Finish: 80×12, EORM: 115

DB Upright Rows:
Start: 60×10, EORM: 80
Finish: 65×13, EORM: >94

Standing Calf Raise:
Start: 245×18
Finish: 275×19

So not a bad finish at all to this log. And all of that in only 6 short weeks. The only thing left is to go over side effects that I experienced.

Throughout the log, my blood pressure was out of whack. I seemed to stay elevated most of the time but eventually stabilized at around 130/80 which isn’t too bad. One thing I would have changed is I would have taken 2 scoops of AI cycle support throughout the log instead of just 1. I believe that this would have helped keep my bp lower.

Something that may be related to the bp issue, is that I also experienced more frequent headaches. These weren’t horrible, but they weren’t fun to have either.

Another side effect apparent from the 2nd week was that I got horrible back pumps. This is usually due to not enough fluid intake, but most days I was well over a gallon of pure water per day. I started taking some taurine during the day and this seemed to help lessen them. However, this only worked if I took the taurine within 30 minutes of my workout and then during my workout. I dosed it at 8 grams, split into 2 servings of 4 grams.

I did NOT experience any calf pumps, but did experience that sensation in the front of my lower leg. That was a weird side effect and it made it hard to run.

Unfortunately, I was not able to do a cholesterol level check during this. I am sure that my cholesterol levels aren’t the greatest right now, but it’s what you get for doing these kinds of supplements.

I didn’t experience any shutdown either (well, from what one can tell from a physical standpoint). Testicular atrophy was at a minimum and I didn’t feel lethargic (unless I stayed out too late, but that wouldn’t be Bold’s fault )

All in all, this is definitely a supplement I would recommend to anyone who wants to go into the hormonal supplement game. It is apparently much more mild than most ph’s out there, but the gains I made were awesome, so I would consider this very cost effective, especially with the combo package available on bb.com right now.

The only thing I regret is not taking before and after pictures, but hey, maybe next time.

Over the past few weeks, the world has watched in horror as Canadian sealers brandished clubs and rifles, brutally slaughtering thousands of defenseless pups, most only a few weeks old. As you read this today, the commercial seal hunt has moved farther north where the killings will resume — with sealers allowed to kill 275,000 seals this year.

Because of your support, we have achieved many landmark victories in our campaign to save the seals — and our efforts are reaching a critical mass. This year, it is clear that the end of the seal slaughter is finally in sight.

		How far we’ve come — and the progress we’re making

	Photo: The HSUS
	Together, we’re making progress to protect these wonderful animals and end the cruel Canadian seal hunt.

		What else you can do

	Photo: The HSUS
	Photographer and “America’s Top Model” judge Nigel Barker joined me on the ice floes of Canada last month. You can get Nigel’s “Save Me” T-shirt (the shirt he’s wearing in this photo) and other seal cause gear to help raise awareness of the seal hunt.

• Spread the word about the seal hunt by posting our web badges or banners to your Facebook page or favorite blogs.
• Another great way to show your support for seals is to make a humane fashion statement by wearing Nigel Barker’s hip new Save Me Seal Tee.
• Get even more creative by downloading desktop wallpaper and other cool stuff here to spread the word online.

Canada has placed at the bottom in a comparison of animal cruelty legislation in 14 countries prepared by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). 

“Canada has a reputation for being compassionate and caring, yet this report demonstrates how woefully inadequate we are when it comes to basic legislation designed to protect animals from cruelty,” said Kim Elmslie, IFAW Canada Campaigner.

Facts revealed in the report include:

- Canada is alone in offering virtually no protection for wild and stray animals
- Canada’s legislation does not include a clear definition of “animal” while other countries are explicit
- Canada is the only country that does not provide protection for animals being trained to fight each other
- Canada is the only country that makes is virtually impossible to prosecute
cases of neglect.

“Canada’s anti-cruelty legislation hasn’t been updated since it was written in 1892—when it was enacted by Queen Victoria. While countries around the world are updating their legislation to better protect animals, Canada seems content to stay in the dark ages,” said Ms Elmslie.

Canada’s poor ranking comes as politicians are about to vote on Bill S-203—a Bill which utterly fails to improve anti-cruelty provisions, simply increases penalties.

“Better penalties do not make better laws. Bill S-203 maintains the loopholes and inadequacies that currently means less than a quarter of one percent of animal cruelty cases lead to successful convictions—the perpetrators simply walk free,” said Ms Elmslie.

“As Canadians we should be embarrassed by this result. Canadians are overwhelmingly calling for better anti-cruelty legislation. It is time our politicians listened—they must vote against Bill S-203 and for legislation that will help restore our pride as a nation that condemns animal cruelty.”

Legislation from 14 countries—Austria, Canada, Croatia, Great Britain, Germany, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Switzerland and the Ukraine is examined in the report Falling behind: An international comparison of Canada’s animal cruelty legislation.

Copies of the report are available online at www.ifaw.org.

For media-related inquiries, contact:
Erica Martin,
IFAW Canada
Tel: 613-241-3982  ext. 221;
Cell: 613-852-0589
Email: emartin@ifaw.org

Fight against those who put profits ahead of compassion. Help us bring an end to puppy mills.

Today, “The Oprah Winfrey Show” aired an exposé on puppy mills that no doubt horrified everyone who watched.

Undercover footage showed dogs in filthy, overcrowded conditions, where they are confined for their entire lives, without human companionship or adequate veterinary care. These dogs are often killed once their reproductive capacity wanes.

The HSUS has been investigating and fighting against puppy mills for decades. With your help, we can advance our fight to stop puppy mills and the tragic consequences of pet overpopulation. You’ve already shown your commitment to help stop puppy mills by signing our Stop Puppy Mills pledge.

Here’s more that you can do right now:

	If you are thinking of bringing a new dog into the family, or know someone who is, request a free copy of our puppy buyer’s guide for information on how to find reputable breeders, shelters, and rescue groups.
	Ask your federal legislators to crack down on puppy mills.
	Get the word out about puppy mills: write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Visit StopPuppyMills.org to educate yourself.
	Download one of our Stop Puppy Mills campaign badges or banners to your own MySpace or Facebook page, blog, or website.
	Did you adopt your canine companion from a rescue group or shelter? Then order our Proud to Adopt care package.
	Download Puppy Mill Cruelty flyers and post them or give them out at your neighborhood dog park, to engage fellow dog owners and help spread the word.
	Help us place advertisements and billboards to spread the word about puppy mill cruelty.

The puppy mill industry will thrive as long as consumers are kept in the dark about the “mass production” of purebred and designer dogs. With your help, we’ll shed light on the cruelty of puppy mills and put them out of business for good. We can’t do it without your help!

Thank you for your commitment to stopping puppy mills and for all that you do for animals. 

Sincerely,

Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United States

Watch PETA’s “Review of 2007″ video!

Thank you for being a part of PETA’s Activist Network! Your phone calls, letters, leafletings, and demonstrations have made a huge difference in the lives of countless animals. The following are just a few of the highlights from the past year.

PepsiCo Declares No More Animal Tests
PETA’s campaign to convince food and beverage companies to drop animal tests gained great momentum when food-industry giant PepsiCo—the multibillion-dollar parent company of brands like Pepsi-Cola, Frito-Lay, Tropicana, Quaker Oats, and Gatorade—joined the ever-growing list of companies that are creating innovative products without using animals in laboratory tests.

Polo Ralph Lauren Bans Fur
In a landmark victory for animals, fashion house Polo Ralph Lauren dropped fur from its clothing lines. Shortly after meeting with PETA, the company issued a news release saying, “[W]e feel that the time is right to take this action.” In behalf of the millions of foxes, raccoons, and other animals who suffer and die each year in the fur industry, PETA couldn’t agree more!

Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. Adopt Industry-Leading Animal Welfare Policies
Following discussions with PETA about the mistreatment of animals in factory farms and slaughterhouses, Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. (owned by CKE Restaurants) announced groundbreaking plans to significantly reduce the suffering of animals raised and killed for their restaurants.

Maggie Moves From the Alaska Zoo to a Sanctuary!
After PETA and concerned citizens around the world urged the Alaska Zoo to send Maggie, a lone 27-year-old African elephant, to a sanctuary, Maggie finally moved to her new home at the Performing Animal Welfare Society sanctuary in California.

These victories show how far we’ve come in the fight for animal rights, but we still have a long way to go. Every year, billions of animals continue to suffer torture, mutilation, starvation, terror, and violent deaths in factory farms. Millions of foxes and other animals are electrocuted and sometimes skinned alive in the fur industry. Animals used in laboratories are routinely cut open, poisoned, forced to live in barren steel cages, and denied veterinary care and painkillers. Circuses still beat elephants and other animals bloody in order to force them to perform unnatural and confusing tricks.

Thankfully, there is hope. If every activist dedicates a little bit of time every week to helping animals, we can achieve more and more victories for animals each year. It’s easy to help! Just contact me at ATeam@peta.org easy and effective ideas!

Thank you for everything you’ve done for animals in the past year. It’s dedicated activists like you who make our campaigns and programs successful. You are the key to helping countless animals escape their sad fates at the end of a chain, in a laboratory cage, on a filthy feedlot, or in a stifling circus boxcar.

As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about organizing an event in your area, becoming more active, ordering educational literature, or anything else. I’m looking forward to working with you in the future. Remember, you have the power to make a huge difference.

For all animals,

Danielle Katz, Outreach Program Coordinator
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
ATeam@peta.org