Do You "Just" Eat Fish? November 18, 2009

Posted by Ryan at November 18, 2009 3:45 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 8 ) | TrackBack

Sea Kitten Tattoos!? February 13, 2009

Posted by Rachel-O at February 13, 2009 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 5 ) | TrackBack

You've seen our sea kitten campaign right? The one that's all over the place—literally? A PETA Foundation staffer, Kristen, has gone one step farther in having the sea kittens dominate the world, and she's getting a whole sea kitten sleeve on her arm. I'm definitely jealous. Check it out!

I asked Kristen some quick questions about her choice to get the sea kittens forever inked in her skin and here's what she said:

What made you want to get a sea kitten sleeve?
Well, when I first saw the campaign I knew I was in love. It just makes so much sense! Seahorses got on the plan years ago, and it has done wonders for their image—who eats seahorse sandwiches? No one I know. I just find it incredibly unfair that some animals are welcomed into our homes and hearts and others are banished to crates and plates. You can't judge animals on their genetic code. I don't know about you, but I'm against speciesism. My tattoos spark conversations just about everywhere I go. It's great when standing in a long line—a little annoying when I just want to pay for my soy chai and get to the office—but either way I love that it gives me the chance to talk about sea kittens specifically, and animal rights in general.

Why do you think sea kittens get such a bad rap?
Some people may think that sea kittens got the short end of the cuteness stick—I disagree (check out the Axolotl, and you will too). I think the bigger problem is that they are too far removed from the public eye. They are easily forgotten, they are usually seen battered and fried next to potatoes, and rarely in their homes doing cute sea kitten things like building their nursery and protecting their growing babies.



I definitely agree that sea kittens are adorable! I've had a small obsession with puffer fish for years! They are the cutest! Ahh! I can't believe people actually eat them or any other sea kitten.

Kristen's sleeve isn't done yet, she's still got a few more sea kittens to go—so we'll be checking in on the progress and posting some more great pictures as the work gets done!

Do you guys have any suggestions for what her next one should look like? You can check out some ideas on our sea kitten campaign page, and make sure to sign our petition to help save the sea kittens here!

Know Anyone at Sea Kitten High School? January 7, 2009

Posted by Marta at January 7, 2009 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 35 ) | TrackBack

No? Well, maybe that's because Sea Kitten High School doesn't exist ... yet.

Today, our very own Dan Shannon wrote letters to Whitefish High School in Montana and Spearfish High School in South Dakota, asking the schools to change their names to Sea Kitten High School, to reflect the gentle nature of their current marine namesakes.

In case you're not hip to sea kittens, let me catch you up to speed: We want to give fish a break. People don't seem to like fish very much, considering how terribly they're treated. By calling fish sea kittens, we're hoping people start thinking of fish a little differently—and remember the fact that sea kittens feel pain just as animals like the purring kittens we share our homes with do.

Dan writes, "Most parents would never dream of spending a family weekend torturing kittens, but hooking a fish through their mouths and pulling them through the water is just as painful as hooking a cat's mouth and dragging him or her behind a car. We're hoping that this name change will encourage people young and old to start treating these gentle 'kittens of the sea' with respect—and show them the kindness that they deserve."

Think about it: A name change is a great way to get people thinking about an issue.

Let me know your thoughts. Would you want to go to Sea Kitten High School?

Sea Puppies?! January 2, 2009

Posted by Rachel-O at January 2, 2009 8:37 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 10 ) | TrackBack

First there were sea kittens. Now, I give you sea puppies:

Volkswagen's commercial for the new SpaceFox car shows a half-dog, half-fish animal and his loving guardian. We think it's sweet that this "sea puppy" (as I like to call him) is his human's best friend, and it even reminded us of our campaign, of course!

Sea puppies, other than being adorable—give people the wake up call that all animals feel, whether they're cute and cuddly like your dog, or a little scaly like a fish. You wouldn't kill someone and eat them because you didn't like the way they look, would you? And you certainly wouldn't kill and eat your dog. Put it together people—fish aren't swimming veggies, and there's nothing cute or compassionate about eating them! Oh yeah—and if anyone tries to tell you that fish don't feel pain, you can ask them if they still think the world is flat, too.

PETA is nominating Volkswagen for a Glitterbox Award! Glitterbox Awards are given to companies that portray animals in a positive manner, and we think VW is quite deserving in this case.

We know that dogs and fish both need love, so it's awesome that Volkswagen can encourage the world to think of them as intelligent creatures who can be part of the family—not part of dinner.

Watch 'Whale Wars' Tonight! November 7, 2008

Posted by Ryan at November 7, 2008 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 4 ) | TrackBack

I have four and a half words for you: Vegan pirates saving whales — yarr!

Yes, for too long it's been generally assumed that pirates do nothing more than seek out doubloons and say hilarious phrases like "shiver me timbers!" and "a-yo-ho-ho".

The good people of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society are changing all of that though. These people are the real deal, and using nonviolent methods of direct action, they have been fighting to defend the rights of sea animals for over 30 years.

Credit: ecorazzi / CC

Now, the friendly folks of Animal Planet will be highlighting the group's efforts in exciting detail as part of a new program called "Whale Wars", which starts tonight at 9pm (EST)!

To give you an example of the kind of remarkable work the group has done (and continues to do), check out this sweet trailer:



Make sure to tune in tonight, mateys!

- Ryan!

Sea Kitten Stories November 5, 2008

Posted by Pulin Modi at November 5, 2008 8:49 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBack

What was your favorite bed time story when you were little?

I really liked The Poky Little Puppy and all those Mr. Men (I identify most with Mr. Nonsense) and Little Miss books.

It would have been cool if I was around some stories with a strong animal rights type of message, though. So that's why I thought it would be nice to mention the sea kitten bedtime stories.

If you have a couple minutes, you can flip through the book online!

Other than the fact that sea kittens are underappreciated animals, the story and images are really cute!

read

Oh how I love to read!

-Pulin

Here (Sea) Kitty Kitty October 13, 2008

Posted by Pulin Modi at October 13, 2008 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBack

I would like you to meet my friend Mr.

Yea, that's the full name sort of like how Prince and Coolio and others have just one name.

Mr. is a sea kitten who loves to play in fresh water and is notorious for putting up a fight if you try to pick on him or his friends. He and I have that in common, for sure.

I consulted with Mr. to come up with the five best things you can do to help sea kittens. Here's what we came up with in no particular order:

1) Put a sea kitten banner on your page.
2) Create your own sea kitten and set him or her as your default on MySpace, Facebook, or Bebo.
3) Send a letter to protect sea kittens from being hunted.
4) Take part in this Street Team mission.
5) Read some Sea Kitten stories.

Obviously, the most important thing is to go vegetarian and stop people from eating these kittens of the sea.

Mr. and I thank you.

Spread the word.

-Pulin

Sherman the Sea Kitten October 8, 2008

Posted by Lara Sanders at October 8, 2008 3:48 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 4 ) | TrackBack

I would like you to meet my friend Sherman. Sherman is a sea kitten.

Sherman hails from the Jersey Shore. His hobbies include growing ironic mustaches, learning to swim, collecting vinyl, and participating in the annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade. Sherman is sick and tired of people trying to hook him. Can you blame him? What would you do if you got a hook in the mouth after biting into a delicious vegan cupcake you found? Not so fun.

Sherman wants you to help save the sea kittens, which you can do here. You can also create your own sea kitten here. Sherman also asked me to tell you to make a lovely lady sea kitten that is into ironic mustaches.

xoxo- Lara

OMG Sea Kittens Are Being Killed! October 7, 2008

Posted by Marta at October 7, 2008 6:33 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 11 ) | TrackBack

We have an amazingly cute new campaign to tell you about: "Save the Sea Kittens!" What are sea kittens? They're fish, of course! In the campaign, we're asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to stop promoting the hunting of sea kittens (otherwise known as "fishing"). Send the FWS a letter now!

Sea kittens feel pain just as all animals do, so we need to help them! To learn a little more about sea kittens, check out our Sea Kitten Bedtime Stories.

And guess what? You can create your own sea kitten! Check out mine below, then click here to create your own!

Create Your Own Sea Kitten at peta2.com!
My unicorn princess sea kitten, Aurora, loves to get all dolled up, but she still needs her floaties! You'll get to see several other peta2 staffers sea kittens this week, so keep an eye on the blog.

Want some Street Team points, too?

• Go here and grab a desktop background to save to your comp
• Set it as your default on MySpace, Facebook, or Bebo, then e-mail us at StreetTeam@peta2.com

We'll give you 500 points. Easy, right? If you're really into it, you can even change your MySpace name to include "Save the Sea Kittens!"

After you post your own sea kitten on your page, be sure to post the name of your cutie as a comment on this blog, too.

Sea Kittens FTW!

♥ Marta

Oprah is Going Vegan for 21 Days! May 21, 2008

Posted by Patricia at May 21, 2008 4:42 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 7 ) | TrackBack

Photo Credit: NPX/starmaxinc.com

You read that right, Oprah Winfrey is going vegan as part of a 21 day cleanse! She announced on her show yesterday that she is thinking about going vegetarian. She read Quantum Wellness by Kathy Freston, and has decided to eliminate all animal products from her diet as part of an "inner makeover", i.e.: a vegan cleanse for three weeks!

I love me some Oprah. I was an Oprah fan long before most of the country even knew who she was. I grew up watching Oprah when she did double-time as an anchor and as a co-host of a chat show on WJZ-TV channel 13 in Baltimore and have been enamored of her ever since.

Of course now that she's Oprah Winfrey: Media Mogul and World-wide Mega Star, she has the power to influence millions and save countless animals. She's already started blogging about the experience stating, "Wow, wow, wow! I never imagined meatless meals could be so satisfying. I had been focused on what I had to give up—sugar, gluten, alcohol, meat, chicken, fish, eggs, cheese. "What's left?" I thought. Apparently a lot. I can honestly say every meal was a surprise and a delight, beginning with breakfast—strawberry rhubarb wheat-free crepes."

Yum, crepes. Sounds delightful to me! Here's hoping she sticks to her vegan diet, and that her legions of fans follow in her footsteps.

xox
Patricia

P.S. If you're considering eliminating animals from your diet but aren't sure where to start, we can help. Start by taking the seven day veg pledge!