Hypocrisy is something that rubs people the wrong way.
Currently standing atop the hypocritical power rankings is the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, more commonly known as PETA.
According to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer services, in 2012, PETA euthanized nearly 90 percent of the adoptable animals that it took in. Over the last 11 years, that total climbs to over 29,000 euthanized animals.
PETA is not a no-kill organization. According to PETA’s website, “When ‘no-kill’ animal shelters and rescue groups are filled to capacity, which is almost always, they are left with two options: turn away more animals than they take in or warehouse animals, often in substandard, filthy, and severely crowded conditions, for weeks, months, or even years on end. Most, if not all, of the animals who are turned away from such facilities still face untimely deaths — just not at these facilities.”
Stand where you will on the kill or no kill issue, but PETA simply cannot be a respected organization when it euthanizes nearly 15,000 of its animals since 2006 when only 131 get adopted in that span of time.
According to “Shocking Photos: PETA’s Secret Slaughter of Kittens, Puppies,” an article published in April by the Huffington Post, some animals that were euthanized were found in garbage bags inside of a supermarket Dumpster.
According to the Huffington Post, “PETA described these animals as ‘adorable’ and ‘perfect.’
A veterinarian who naively gave PETA some of the animals, thinking they would find them homes, and examined the dead bodies of others, testified that they were ‘healthy’ and ‘adoptable.’”
It’s awfully ironic that one of the last places a stray dog wants to be is inside PETA’s headquarters, even if it is relatively healthy.
This isn’t the first time that PETA’s actions have left people shaking their heads.
In October of last year, the organization released a game called “Pokémon Black and Blue.”
According to PETA, “The amount of time that Pokémon spend stuffed in pokéballs is akin to how elephants are chained up in train carts, waiting to be let out to ‘perform’ in circuses.”
In November of 2011, PETA created a game that criticized Super Mario’s use of the Tanooki suit. The idea was to teach people that Mario was the bad guy because he wears fur.
Here’s the problem: Pokémon and Super Mario aren’t real. If PETA wants to be taken seriously, then it needs to stop criticizing Nintendo games and focus on actually promoting the ethical treatment of animals. Nintendo is not under fire from animal rights groups. PETA is.
PETA has done some good work in the past. The organization shed some much-needed light on animal rights issues.
If it weren’t for PETA, the general public may not have known about companies and researchers that commit acts of animal cruelty.
Because of PETA’s pressure and presence, there is now a higher standard of care for animals.
Unfortunately, PETA is now way off-base.
It has gone from an animal rights activism organization to a euthanasia clinic that routinely puts on pathetic publicity stunts. PETA needs to get back to its original noble cause.
