Dear Editor:
The website mentioned in Meredith Siegel’s Feb. 10 column is run by a front group for the meat industry, whose self-professed strategy is to “shoot the messenger” because it fears PETA’s impact in educating people about the meat industry’s cruelty and environmental destruction and our success in changing consumers’ buying habits.
PETA works to stop animal suffering on all fronts, from speaking up for gentle sheep who are punched in the face, kicked, stomped on and even killed during shearing — as PETA’s video footage from 11 eyewitness exposés of nearly 100 wool-industry operations on four continents shows — to protesting cruel, curiosity-driven experiments in which songbirds are captured, fed crude oil, wounded without pain relief and killed.
We’re also proud to help animals in the communities surrounding our Sam Simon Center headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia. Last year alone, our fleet of mobile spay-and-neuter clinics sterilized 11,464 dogs, cats and rabbits, all at little to no cost to their guardians. Operating the clinics cost PETA more than $1.2 million in 2018 alone. We’ve helped thousands of impoverished families keep animals they would otherwise have given up, by providing free veterinary care, food and other services.
For animals who are beyond hope of rehabilitation, PETA’s shelter of last resort offers a peaceful end. Unlike many limited-admission facilities, PETA does not put up barriers such as fees or waiting lists, and we welcome animals who are unadoptable, including dogs who have become aggressive from being chained 24/7 and are slowly dying from advanced heartworm disease and feral cats who are ravaged by injuries and illnesses. For these animals, euthanasia is a kindness — sometimes the only kindness they’ve ever been shown.
We transfer many adoptable animals to other local shelters, and we’ve found loving homes for many ourselves. I invite readers to visit www.PETASaves.com to learn more about PETA’s work and to get involved.
