Government Records Show PETA Killed over 90 Percent of "Companion Animals" in 2007 Animal "Rights" Group's Pet Death Toll Up To 19,200

WASHINGTON, DC¬ An official report filed by People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) with the Virginia government shows that the organization put to death more than 90 percent of the dogs, cats, and other pets it took in for adoption during 2007. During that year, the well-known animal rights group managed to find adoptive homes for just 17 animals. In light of PETA's hypocritical angel-of-death program, today the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) called on PETA to stop its routine condemnation of Americans who believe it’s perfectly ethical to use animals for food, clothing, and medical research.

This comes on the heels of last week’s Newsweek report (http://www.newsweek.com/id/134549), which revealed that since 1998 PETA had killed, “more than 17,000 animals, nearly 85 percent of all those it has rescued.”

Not counting animals PETA held only temporarily in its spay-neuter program, the organization took in 1,997 "companion animals" during 2007, of which it killed 1,815. According to Virginia’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), the average euthanasia rate for humane societies in the state was just 36.2 percent in 2007. PETA killed 90.9 percent of the animals it took in.

"Pet lovers should be outraged," said CCF Director of Research David Martosko. "There are thousands of worthwhile animal-welfare organizations that deserve the support of compassionate Americans. PETA is not one of them. This is the kind of cold, heartless behavior that would draw a naked PETA protest if anyone else were doing it."

In courtroom testimony last year, a PETA manager acknowledged that her organization maintains a large walk-in freezer for storing dead animals, and that PETA contracts with a Virginia cremation service to dispose of the bodies. In that trial, PETA employees described some of the animals they acknowledged killing as "adorable," "perfect," and "pregnant."

In January, CCF petitioned VDACS to consider officially reclassifying PETA as a "slaughterhouse" instead of a "humane society" and an animal "releasing agency." VDACS Commissioner Todd Haymore responded in a January 25, 2008 letter that while PETA's rate of killing animals is "extremely high," the state's laws "do not provide the authority for [VDACS] to 'strip' PETA of its designation as a 'humane society' or 'releasing agency.'"

"It's horribly ironic that PETA kills so many animals" Martosko added. "PETA raised over $30 million last year, and it’s using that money to kill the only flesh-and-blood animals its employees actually see. The scale of PETA’s hypocrisy is simply staggering." For more information or to schedule an interview contact Tim Miller at 202-463-7112. Learn more about PETA’s hypocrisy at www.petakillsanimals.com

The Center for Consumer Freedom is a nonprofit coalition supported by restaurants, food companies, and consumers, working together to promote personal responsibility and protect consumer choices.

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