Penguins in Bondage

PETA, yep. The animal rights group is upset that some trendoid ego stroke-off in Miami featured live penguins floating on plastic raft in a pool to help set the Cool Scene. As penguins prefer the company of ice, this may have been abuse PETA thinks.

"We are now looking into whether having the penguins there broke any cruelty-to-animals laws," a PETA spokesman warns.

Just don't leave the straps too loose, bud.

Comments

[cdunlea]

PETA commits cruelty to animals every day. The human animals, that is. Just by grabbing media time and yapping about their holier-than-thou, meat-is-murder, Fido-is-oppressed, free-the-pet-fish drivel.

[gyromancist]

I always feel a twinge whenever a troupe once known for great performance art loses its sense of humor. They're so damned rare, you know ...

[Doc]

Yes, and think of all those poor penguins that live in South Africa and the southern coast of Australia! I imagine they are desperate for some ice. Maybe they should go down there and round them all up for colder climes.

[speedwell]

Just for the (broken) record... some vegetarians, such as myself, resent PETA. They do NOT represent all of us.

[AJS]

Nice Zappa reference 🙂

[Ben]

Anyone read the actual article? The penguins seemed quite disturbed. I'm by no means an animal activist, but it did seem a little cruel.

[Christopher W.]

Could've been worse.
Could've been July.

[David]

It's always July in Miami. I scratch my head at the people who need to have live animals at a party. I don't know if it's cruel as much as it is stupid.

[Warren]

Well, the Post seems to have taken down the story, or just moved on. (Nice piece on Martha's ongoing recovery from her ordeal.)

Perhaps this was a case of genuine mistreatment. But PETAs track record as a fanatical organization of radical zealots, with no respect for law or civilization, is well established. IMO they are getting a free ride from 'the press' where they are all too often portrayed as nothing worse than passionate folks that care about animals.

Anyone genuinely concerned about the care and treatment of animals, as opposed to the abuse of humans, would do well to affiliate themselves with the Humane Society or the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Two respectable organizations that not only care about animals, but actually pursues projects that benefit their stated goal. As opposed to simple minded, wanton destruction.

[Doc]

Good point Warren...PETA has a kind of Cassandra-like reputation where we'll roll our eyes even if they did find something legit.

[Ayatollah Usoe]

The entire concept of cruelty to animals is silly, since it is through our eyes, and not that of the animal. From the animal's perspective, life ends being torn limb from limb and eaten while still alive. To pretend the animal can distinguish between what we do to them and what happens in nature is to endow the animal with human thought.

[Isaac Bartram]

It is also worth noting that the Humane Society of the United States is a political group that devotes its resources to lobbying for bans on hunting and trapping. If this is something you want, then, by all means, give to HSUS, but don't plan on any of the money going to the local Animal Shelter to care for little Fido or little Fluffy.

[WSDave]

"To pretend the animal can distinguish between what we do to them and what happens in nature is to endow the animal with human thought."

Comment by: Ayatollah Usoe at February 24, 2005 01:10 PM

Usoe, I'm not even sure that I would endow humans with human thought.

[Smalls]

Anyone hungry for the truth about how the PETA organization works, or what they're up to would be well fed by checking out The Center for Consumer Freedom. They have a ton of dirty little secrets about PETA.

[pococurante]

Yes, and the Center for Consumer Freedom are lobbyists for the (chain) restaurant and food industry.