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SALT LAKE CITY — A consumer group is calling for a PETA shelter to be reclassified as a slaughterhouse after documents were published online showing the shelter euthanized more than 95 percent of the animals it housed in 2010.
The Center for Consumer Freedom, a non-profit lobbyist group that represents the fast food, meat, alcohol and tobacco industries, obtained the documents from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and published them earlier this month on the internally run petakillsanimals.com.
According to the documents, PETA euthanized more than 1,900 cats and dogs at its Norfolk, Va. headquarters in 2011 while placing 24 in adoptive homes. Since 1998, the shelter has euthanized nearly 28,000 animals.
"PETA hasn't slowed down its slaughterhouse operation, even as the group continues to lecture the American public with its phony ‘animal rights' message," Rick Berman, CCF's executive director, said in a release. "It appears PETA is more concerned with funding its media and advertising antics than finding suitable homes for these dogs and cats."
Most of the animals we take in are society's rejects; aggressive, on death's door or somehow unadoptable.
–Nicole Dao
PETA spent nearly $2 million on advertisements in 2011. The organization is known for controversial ad campaigns that use shock value to draw attention to animal rights issues.
A PETA spokeswoman said Wednesday the CCF is a "front group for … animal exploiters" that misrepresented the situation.
"CCF's goal is to damage PETA by misrepresenting the situation and the number of unwanted and suffering animals PETA euthanizes because of injury, illness, age, aggression and other problems, because their guardians requested it or because no good homes exist for them." spokeswoman Nicole Dao said. "Most of the animals we take in are society's rejects; aggressive, on death's door or somehow unadoptable."
The CCF called Wednesday for the Norfolk shelter to be reclassified as a slaughterhouse, citing the shelter's 95.9 percent rate of euthanasia.
"It's the height of hypocrisy for PETA to demonstrate for the rights of rats and pigs, while killing tens of thousands of pets," CCF analyst J. Justin Wilson said in a release.
Dao declined to comment further on the situation.
Katherine Heigl has joined PETA in protesting a bill in the Utah legislature that would criminalize undercover filming on factory farms.
Heigl speaks out against UT H.B. 187Katherine Heigl has joined PETA in protesting a bill in the Utah legislature that would criminalize undercover filming on factory farms.
The Emmy-winning actress reportedly sent a personal letter on behalf of PETA to every member of the Utah senate urging them to reject the law.
"My husband and I married in Utah, and I've been proud to call the state home for the last couple of years," Heigl wrote. "I hope that legislators in Utah recognize that they need to work to prevent cruelty to animals by strengthening laws, not penalizing those who are trying to expose this cruelty.
Heigl added that the bill makes the state's agricultural community seem "desperate to hide illegal and inhumane treatment of animals from the public."
H.B. 187 was passed Friday in the Utah House of Representatives. The Senate has until March 8 to act on the bill.
