Animal Cruelty

18,400 Rodents and 600 Reptiles Put Down After Activists Force Inspection of OC Exotic Pet Company's Filthy Breeding Facility

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is boasting about the role of animal activists in uncovering cruel conditions at a Rancho Santa Margarita exotic pet company's Lake Elsinore breeding facility, where a city inspection ended with more than 18,400 rodents and about 600 reptiles (mostl ... More >>

Animal Liberation Campaign Against Brea Medical Supply Company Turns Uglier

A 13-year war between a U.K.-based cosmetics company and militant animal rights activists has spilled over to a Brea medical supplier and the Orange County homes of its employees.The latest flare-up was Sunday evening in Yorba Linda, where a female executive found her backyard pool water dyed red an ... More >>

[UPDATED: Company Decides Not To Sell in China] Urban Decay, 'Cruelty-Free' Makeup Brand, May Allow Products To Be Tested on Animals

See update at the end of this post. Click here for the original post and comments.ORIGINAL POST, JUNE 22, 3:33 P.M.: For years, products from Urban Decay have been stamped with the same tagline: "We don't do animal testing. How could anyone?" How could anyone? Turns out, easily when there ... More >>

[UPDATED with PETA Virtual Dissection Bid:] Anti-Vivisection Group Demands Facebook Remove Harbor High Students' Dead Cat Photos

See update at end of this post about People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) offering to donate "virtual dissection equipment" to Newport-Mesa schools.ORIGINAL POST, JULY 3, 2:15 P.M.: The nonprofit pressuring Newport-Mesa Unified School District officials to intervene to stop Newport Har ... More >>

Newport Beach-based Urban Decay, 'Cruelty-Free' Makeup Brand, May Now Allow Products To Be Tested on Animals

For years, products from Urban Decay have been stamped with the same tagline: "We don't do animal testing. How could anyone?" How could anyone? Turns out, easily when there are dollar signs involved. The Newport Beach-based makeup company, which long prided itself on its "cruelty-free" sta ... More >>

Lush Stores Want to Wash Away Animal Testing

It's not unusual in this day and age to see people demonstrating outside a store over some perceived injustice. Often this can involve the mistreatment of animals, especially if the merchant is selling them as a meal or clothing made of from their fur or products that involved animal testing. Lush a ... More >>

Orange County Fair Elephant Ride is Over

​The Orange County Fair Board, facing a crowd of more than 100 that included many animal advocates today, voted to end elephant rides.The news was cheered by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which has sought bans on performing pachyderms around the country, and disdained by Have ... More >>

PETA Loses Whale of a Slave Suit But Still Crows

​A federal judge Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit brought by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) that argued five orcas should be freed from SeaWorld under the anti-slavery 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.Judge Jeffrey Miller of the U.S. District Court in San Diego reasoned in ... More >>

Santa Ana Zoo Ends Elephant Ride

​Today's city of Santa Ana announcement that it is ending elephant rides at Santa Ana Zoo was cheered by animal rights activists. "Following more than a year of pressure from PETA, the Animal Protection and Rescue League, Animal Defenders International (ADI), and celebrities including Charo and ... More >>

Original Russo's Pet Experience Now Targeted by Puppy Mill Foes

​Animal rights groups claiming Russo's Pet Experience sells puppies raised in mills managed to pressure the Irvine Co. to end the pet store's lease at one Irvine shopping center and the Irvine City Council to ban such retailers outright.Now, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and t ... More >>

Ringling Bros. Pays $270k Fine Over Animal Care--and Disagrees with PETA About It

Photo by Keith May/OC Weekly​We explored in August the Rashomon reactions of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to an adult elephant hitting the ground while being loaded into a boxcar in Anaheim, with PETA claiming a sick Sarah collapsed ... More >>

PETA Seeks to Stop Kangaroo Boxing at Costa Mesa Circus

​People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) today lodged an "urgent" complaint with the California Department of Fish and Game in a bid to stop kangaroo boxing in Costa Mesa this weekend, the animal rights group announced.Nancy Foley, Fish and Game's Law Enforcement Division chief, is aske ... More >>

Omaima Aree Nelson Parole Condition Sought by PETA

​People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has written a letter to the warden of Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla asking that a condition be part of Omaima Aree Nelson's parole, should the state board grant the model-turned-cannibal wife's request today.  See if you ... More >>

PETA Chides Ringling Bros. for Federal Inspection of Tiger Hurt in Anaheim and Ill Elephant in LA

​Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus was cited for "serious violations" of the federal Animal Welfare Act during this summer's engagements at the Honda Center in Anaheim and Staples Center in Los Angeles, an animal rights group charges.A U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection report ... More >>

Tennesee DMV: F-U to ILVTOFU Vanity Plate

​A PETA employee called Whitney Calk moved from Virginia to Tennessee and tried registering her car in the new state with a custom tag that expressed her love of tofu, not her love to F-U. Either way, that state's DMV refused the application for a vanity plate that read ILVTOFU under the grounds o ... More >>

Elephant on Ground Near Boxcar Brings Rashomon Explanations from Ringling Bros. and PETA

​People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) claims that a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus elephant collapsed while being loaded into a rail boxcar in Anaheim following Sunday night's finale at the Honda Center.Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait has been sent a letter from PETA "urging h ... More >>

[UPDATED with Not Guilty Plea:] Jaime Arturo Garcia, Accused of Slitting His Dog's Throat, Brings to Mind 5 Other Pooch-Abuse Cases

​UPDATE, AUG. 4, 8:37 A.M.: At Orange County Superior Court in Westminster Wednesday, Jaime Arturo Garcia pleaded not guilty to slitting his dog's throat and setting fires in the Stanton home he shares with his sister.ORIGINAL POST, AUG. 3, 8:44 A.M.: Jaime Arturo Garcia is scheduled to be arraig ... More >>

[UPDATED with PETA Response:] Ringling Bros. Says It'll Put Its Protection of Elephants Up Against PETA's Efforts Any Time

Photo by Keith May/OC Weekly​UPDATE, JULY 27, 1:53 P.M.: Call this the battle of the dueling spokespeople: Amanda Schinke of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) today emailed the Weekly a letter responding to comments made in the original post (after the jump) by Trudy Williams of F ... More >>

[UPDATED with TV Star's Plea to End Santa Ana Zoo Rides:] OC Fair Begins and So Does Elephant Protest

​UPDATE, JULY 19, 7:29 A.M.: Constance Marie played Angie Lopez on ABC's George Lopez sitcom, and she's now Regina Vasquez on ABC Family's Switched at Birth.She's using her celebrity to issue this plea to Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido: Fire Have Trunk Will Travel as the elephant ride contractor at ... More >>

[UPDATED with Lawsuit:] Santa Ana Zoo Urged to Cut Ties with Elephant Ride Contractor in Wake of Abuse Alleged in Video

​UPDATE, JUNE 27, 10:40 A.M.: A Los Angeles-based animal rights group today announced the filing of a lawsuit against the contractor who runs the elephant rides at the Santa Ana Zoo.However, the suit does not concern the ride operations that have been blasted by advocates for animals but Perris-ba ... More >>

Santa Ana Zoo Urged to Cut Ties with Elephant Ride Contractor in Wake of Abuse Alleged in Video

Jay Brockman/OC Weekly​An animal rights group is urging the city of Santa Ana to break ties with the supplier of elephants for a Santa Ana Zoo ride after allegations the same company abused a mammal that appears in the recent film Water for Elephants starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson ... More >>

Seabirds Truck Honored by PETA

​OCMetro reports that the Seabirds Truck has been honored by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) as one of the five most animal-friendly food truck in the nation. In a rare collision of PETA and good taste, they have chosen Seabirds for vegan cuisine that actually tastes good.In my ... More >>

[UPDATED: PETA Gives Posthumous Award] Moments After Saving a Dog From Traffic, Woman Struck and Killed by Motorist

FacebookMara Steves​UPDATE, FEB. 17, 10 A.M.: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) announced today that it will posthumously award Steves with its Compassionate Action Award for rescuing the dog."Mara died as she was helping another individual in trouble," said PETA President Ingrid ... More >>

Charo to Papi Pulido: Stop Santa Ana Zoo Elephant Rides

Charo--you know, of "coochie-coochie" fame--has sent a letter to Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido urging him to stop elephant rides at the city-operated Santa Ana Zoo."Ay-yi-yi yeem whiting tu jew tu bane ..."Okay, that thick Spanish accent ain't working for me either. Let's drop it, shall we?

[CORRECTION:] Santa Ana Zoo Defends Elephant Rides as County and Animal Rights Groups Seethe

​CORRECTION: Residents cannot get into Santa Ana Zoo free this weekend, that promotion was last weekend. We regret the error. If you happen to pass by the elephants at Santa Ana Zoo, you might want to think twice before going on a ride.That's because the County of Orange has a rule: Don't touch th ... More >>

Man Loves Goat

The Chance's 'The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?' explores what happens when a seemingly decent man falls for the udder woman

Octomom Nadya Suleman's Home Now Owned by Attorney; Her Financial Situation More Dire

​Jeff Czech, the lawyer for Octomom Nadya Suleman, has taken over the title of her La Habra home. A review of public records shows that the title was transferred from the single mother of 14's father, Ed Doud, to Harmony Enterprises, Inc. which is owned by Czech.Suleman, who staved off her mortga ... More >>

PHOTOS: PETA Combats Ringling Bros. Circus Cruelty With Near-Naked Redhead

Christopher Victorio​Another year, another Ringling Bros. stop in Anaheim, another PETA protest. Today's protest took place at the southeast corner of S. Lemon St. and W. Center St. Promenade. And how did they protest, you ask? With an almost naked, chained redhead, of course!

Another Nekkid PETA Lady Precedes the Ringling Bros. Circus Arrival in Anaheim

​A year ago, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey announced its July 2009 show in Anaheim, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals announced its pre-circus protest featuring a nude woman in a cage, and Ringling and PETA went on to hold their respective elephant-parade/caged-babe pre-show spe ... More >>

Octomom Goes Through With PETA Stunt

Photo by Christopher VictorioA desperate attempt to generate publicity about a social ill and a PETA poster.​As promised, Octomom Nadya Suleman today unveiled an ironic poster from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) outside her La Habra home.In exchange for serving as the butt ... More >>

[UPDATED:] Now PETA Offers to Bail Out Octomom

UPDATE: PETA and Nadya Suleman make a deal. ​A day after a porn king offered to bail Nadya Suleman out of foreclosure of her La Habra home, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has sent Octomom a letter stating PETA will assist her financially. And she doesn't even have to appear in an adul ... More >>

PETA-Ringling Bros. Elephant Spat Gets Curiouser (Plus Bonus Nude PETA Spokesmodel Flap)

Photo by Keith MayVegan Mel spreads the word.​When Clockwork reported in June that Melissa "Vegan Mel" Sehgal confined her nude painted body to a cage to demonstrate against Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus' treatment of elephants and other animals as the circus prepared to come to An ... More >>

Slideshow: PETA Protest at Santa Ana McDonald's

Keith MayProtesting is fun!​ You heard it here first in Dave Lieberman's post, and we sent photog Keith May to yesterday afternoon's PETA protest at a Santa Ana McDonald's location. Armed with some super uplifting shots of bloody chickens and scary clowns, PETA members rallied against cruel slaugh ... More >>

Slideshow: PETA Protest at Santa Ana McDonald's

Keith MayProtesting is fun!​ You heard it here first in Dave Lieberman's post, and we sent photog Keith May to yesterday afternoon's PETA protest at a Santa Ana McDonald's location. Armed with some super uplifting shots of bloody chickens and scary clowns, PETA members rallied against cruel slaug ... More >>

PETA to Send Giant Chicken to Santa Ana

Courtesy of PETALet's hope their signs are bigger tomorrow. Harbor has a 40 mph speed limit.​If you're going to be driving in the area of Harbor and McFadden tomorrow, Wednesday, December 9, from noon to 1 p.m., be aware that there will be a person in a chicken suit protesting McDonald's chicken s ... More >>

Dishney: PETA Recommends Animal Sanctuaries Over Disneyland

In yet another effort to make both meat eaters and vegetarians further dislike them, Ingrid Newkirk, president and co-founder of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), has issued an open letter to President Obama via the Huffington Post, pleading for him to send the traditional Than ... More >>

Consumer Group Lashes Out at "Fringe" PETA's Camp Pendleton Protest

​People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is a "fringe group" that is hypocritical about euthanizing animals, charges a Washington, D.C.-based consumer group that also denounced today's PETA protest against Camp Pendleton's use of live pigs in medical training for troops.The Center for Consumer ... More >>

PETA Tee Prefers Breasts Over Animal Testing

PETACatalog.org​ We all know PETA is no stranger to using "edgy" marketing campaigns, showcasing naked (and half-naked) women to trumpet their cause--see our recent slightly NSFW Ringling Bros. protest slideshow here--but some think their priorities are a little misaligned, worthy cause or not.Che ... More >>

UPDATE: Franks For The Memories... Is It The End Of The Road For The Wienermobile?

Sadly, Oscar G Mayer Jr., the hot dog company's retired chairman, died on Monday. According to TMZ (!), he requested that the famed sausage-shaped vehicle not make an appearance at his funeral, saying it would be "too much of a spectacle". Now PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has w ... More >>

One Good Ringling Bros. Demonstration Deserves Another

Courtesy of ElephantCenter.comA Ringling Bros. elephant performer gets a washing.When Melissa "Vegan Mel" Sehgal of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) carried out her nude and caged protest against Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus late last month in Anaheim, a representa ... More >>

Can "PETA Girls Gone Wild" DVDs Be Far Behind?

Courtesy of Vegan Mel's MySpace pagePETA's Melissa Sehgal (right), who also goes by "Vegan Mel," demonstrates against McDonalds.Melissa Sehgal, who vows to strip down to a nude body painted like a tiger and confine herself to a cage with a banner above reading, "Wild Animals Don't Belong Behind Bars ... More >>

Vegan Mel Carries Out Her Nude Protest

Photo by Keith MayHear Vegan Mel roar!You were told this morning about the vow made by Melissa Sehgal, who also goes by Vegan Mel, to sit in a cage in Anaheim while her nude body was painted like a tiger. If you point your eyes in that direction, you can still make out the smoke trail produced when ... More >>

Horrifying Dog Abuse in OC Captured on Video

Several months ago, I drove three times to visit the Santa Ana Police Department Animal Control to report a neighbor's dog abuse. I was told my word wasn't good enough--that I needed evidence such as photographs, video--proving the abuse. Today, I went home for lunch and found another neighbor re ... More >>

Beasts of Burnin'

An outlaw animal-rights group targets a local bank branch in its war on animal testing

Dumbo and Dumber

Handlers give circus Elephants the bullhook

!Ask a Mexican!

Diary Of A Mad County

How to Stuff a Lettuce Bikini

To the Costa Mesa thugs who used to beat up Dan Mathews: The fat gay punk kid grew up to save lives and jet set with Pam Anderson. Howzabout you?

Electric Horsemen

Is a rodeo mafia covering up evidence of animal abuse in California?