Has PETA gone too far?

Shock value = publicity and I'm sure that's where she is coming from. I am all for animal protection and the humane treatment and handling of animals as I think it is wrong to make any animal suffer, but some of these animal rights people are really FAR out there!!

I have to admit I feel two ways about PETA. I think that they bring attention to the fact that many people take animals for granted. Bringing attention to abuse and mistreatment of animals is a wonderful thing, but I think that PETA takes it too far.

As a scientist, I think that some animal testing is necessary. That's not to say that there are no studies where animals are being abused and mistreated. I think that consideration must be given to the well-being of any animal that is used for testing, and if animals are being mistreated, the studies should stop. However, at this time, there are some studies that could not be done without animal models. I personally don't like the fact that animals may die in the course of a study, but many advances in human medical care have come from animal studies. If it was not for animal studies, my mother would have not survived the two years she did after being diagnosed with colon cancer.

Also, from what I have read, PETA does not believe in pet ownership. They believe that all companion/pet animals should be allowed to return to their "wild" roots. Wild? From my work with the Save Samoa and Stray Pet Advocacy webistes, I've come to learn that allowing cats to return to "the wild" is not a postive thing. Although PETA may not be comfortable with it, we have domesticated both cats and dogs, and a lot of other species. In many ways, returning these species to "the wild" will be a death sentence.

Its too bad that PETAis so full of nuts. It seems like it would of been such a good idea. Im more for the ASPCA.

I should return Hoots back to the wild? What would she do without me to clean the poo off her bloomers?

ewww..I think it is just plain disgusting if you ask me...what a weirdo!!

PETA does a lot of good by making people think more about how animals are treated, but the organization shoots itself in the foot by going too far in some of its actions/statements. The PETA head sounds rather wifty.

yeah. PETA makes a lot sense, don't they? a couple years ago it was passing out keychains on campus saying "drink beer not milk" because of the number of innocent calves being slaughtered so we can have milk. and on top of that they cows giving us milk we supposedly kept in horrid living conditions... i wonder if any of these people have ever been on a dairy farm, because i have. dairy cattle are treated extremely well due to health code regulations.

and as for convincing kids to drink on college campuses... like they need another reason.

Not all of them are treated well that's the problem. :/

Non of us, would be where we are today in this world, this far along with animal welfare, if it wasn't for the help of PETA.
I do not agree with everything they do and say, and am not and will not be a member of them (I prefer In Defence of Animals for that.)
But I am glad that some big organization is out there TRYING to stick up for the animals, and bringing things to light, that others would dare not to, or never even think to.

PETA has good intentions, but I can't agree with their methodology in many cases. Their ideology is a bit out there for me as well.

To me they are in the same league as Greenpeace, which is not a good thing.

but creating outlandish "headlines" and campaigns is not the answer. so they don't believe in eating meat? that's fine. but feeding children meat is not ABUSE. what they have done for animal testing and cruelty is great.

but i choose to eat meat. i grew up on a farm. i know how animals are treated on farms. yes, there are "factory farms" out there. it is not the best living conditions, but you know what? but there are other farmers who are fighting these conditions. they shouldn't categorize all farmers together. i laughed at an idiot reporter who ran an expose on a local farmer who raised hogs out on pasture with individual dwellings and room to run. what a novel idea. apparently this was her only reip to a farm because that is how my father and out neighbors and many other farmers in the midwest do it.

and as for the PETA members who tried to surround my car one day as i pulled into McDonalds... humans have rights, too.

I agree that PETA goes to far!! I'm not in favor of animal testing in general, but I also know that in some cases it is necessary -- so it should be done as humanly as posible.
I also agree that killing animals for food or clothing is not to be compaired with the Holicost (Sorry about my bad spelling). The slaughter of people is evil and without reason. And as much as I love my pets and other animals there is no comparison.

As for returning my cats and dogs to the wild -- I live in Baltimore city -- and that's where I got them all, wandering the street hungry cold and lonely. No way am I returning them to that.

Thanks for listening to my opinion

Judecat

Cindy -- I did say I understand that some animal testing is necessary, I just don;t have to like it. We can do everything else on computers I think someone would find a way to do some of the stuff on a computer model before they test in on animals -- you know week out the stuff that ain't gonna work no way.
I don't protest animal research, but I stongly protest places that don't properly care for their lab animals, and make them as confortable as possible. But I think the lab people are learning that the chemicals released by fear and stress are trowing off the results so things are getting better.

Mostly I was thinking cosmetic testing and stuff like that. I agree with PETA on that.

But as I said -- yes PETA goes to far -- especially when they bring the holicost into it. I used to support PETA about 20 years ago, but they are alinating their own supporters, and not making much of an impression on anyone else - except people who would support them if they weren't so crazy/pushy/self-ritegeous (I know that is spelled wrong)/and anti human.

I must say one more thing. I've only been on this board since yesterday afternoon, but I know I am staying here because everyone gets to be heard without getting into an argument. This is the best cat's board I've ever been on. Mow if I can find a dog board this good I will have it made.

Jude

I understand how u feel, having my grandparents survive jewish prosecution in europe, i still refuse to degrate an animals life. Animals are just as important to life, to nature, to the world as human beings are. They are as innocent as the 6 million people that died. Though I am not comparing slaughter houses to the holocaust, I just want people to understand that just because an animal is not a human being, doesnt mean that it should be thought of any less of a being.

The theory behind PETA is good--their actions need a lot of work, though.

Did anyone hear about the court in Denmark deciding that a curator at an Art Museum was not guilty of animal abuse because he provided an exhibit of goldfish in a blender (it was plugged in) that invited viewers to turn on the blender? It was supposed to be a test of a person's ability to tell the difference between good and bad.

Personally I agree with them that he's not guilty of animal abuse, but rather animal endangerment (he created the situation), but what about charging the people who actually pushed the darn button? THOSE PEOPLE ARE THE SICK ONES! Nobody did a thing about them!

*sigh*

I've heard about those lab rescues up in the SF area here in CA--they say the people usually abandon the animals (I guess they think that's returning them to the wild) and over 90% of them die. Like that's really rescuing anything.

I also would like to ask them what they think about plant abuse since we have experiments that prove that plants are aware of being injured and/or killed (and they are aware if this happening to other plants). Guess if doesn't move and act all squiggly it doesn't matter to them.

Oh--also, they had people who had survived the holocaust calling into a radio station down here to respond to PETA's accusation and they were absolutely humiliated by the comparison. They all stated that they are truly against animal abuse, but to compare these actions to the actions of people who were doing stuff through hatred is beyond anything I can think of.

Amnesty International is also accusing the US of causing all the other problems in the world because we focused on Iraq for a little while. No cheers for saving all the Iraqis, just jeers for not focusing on Rwanda.