Responsabilidade Animal

Dear Anne,

PETA Asia has just blown the lid off a horrifying and heartbreaking case in the Philippines that involves cruelty to two of the most vulnerable members of any society—children and animals. You will need a strong stomach to read on, but please know that for the first time in history, something is being done about what you are about to read:

For the last year, PETA's affiliate in Asia has been working to expose and stop those behind a series of pornographic snuff videos in which girls as young as 12 are videotaped torturing and killing animals. These "crush" videos depict the girls stepping, standing, and stomping on animals—from the smallest of mice to large dogs—and are made for a niche market of demented individuals all over the world who derive sexual pleasure from watching animals being abused and slowly killed. Such videos are so heinous that the U.S. enacted a federal law to ban their sale just last year.

The content of the videos associated with this case in the Philippines is beyond sickening. They show scantily clad young girls in high heels crushing puppies, cutting the ears from screaming rabbits who are then set ablaze, driving a sharp stiletto heel repeatedly into a monkey's eyes, and other scenes that are so disturbing that I will spare you the details. The abuse of these animals is prolonged as their limbs are broken and organs crushed until they bleed from the eyes and finally succumb to the agony. But please keep reading.

PETA Asia staff approached and have been working with the Filipino National Bureau of Investigations for more than a year. Finally, after overcoming painstaking hurdles, the police have now charged two people with cruelty to animals, the corruption of minors, and other crimes. The couple has now fled; warrants have been issued for their arrest, and PETA Asia is offering a substantial reward to help locate and bring them to justice.

Although the two fugitives are being pursued by law enforcement and we are working the tips hotline, there is still much more to be done. We need your help to stop similar atrocities, as this isn't the only case, and we need your support for all PETA Asia's wonderful and often lifesaving work for animals. The following are two simple ways that you can help right now:

1. Contact the Philippine Ambassador to the United States and urge him to do everything in his power to promote the passage of a law banning the sale of these videos in his country.
2. Make a desperately needed gift today to help PETA Asia's work. The cost of necessary legal work, support for some of the children ensnared in this case, and all PETA Asia's groundbreaking efforts to stop animal abuse throughout Asia is quickly draining this affiliate's budget to pursue cases like this one. PETA will direct 100 percent of your gift to PETA Asia.

It's difficult to imagine something as vile as what PETA Asia has helped to expose in the Philippines, but by taking the two important steps above, you can help us move closer to a day when such sickening cruelty is stopped for good.

Thank you for everything that you do for animals—both in your own neighborhood and around the world.

Kind regards,


Ingrid E. Newkirk
President

P.S. From helping to bring "crush" video abusers to justice to being among the first animal protection groups on the ground following the devastating March earthquakes in Japan, PETA Asia is on the front lines of the fight for animal rights across Asia. You can find out more about its vital work for animals in the Philippines, China, and throughout Asia by visiting PETAAsiaPacific.com.

In Defense of Animals, located in San Rafael, Calif., is an international animal protection organization with more than 100,000 members and supporters dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by protecting their rights and welfare. IDA's efforts include educational events, cruelty investigations, boycotts, grassroots activism, and hands-on rescue through our sanctuaries in Mississippi, Mumbai, India, and Cameroon, Africa.

In Defense of Animals is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We welcome your feedback and appreciate your donations. Please join today! All donations to IDA are tax-deductible.

In Defense of Animals
3010 Kerner, San Rafael, CA 94901
Tel. (415) 448-0048 Fax (415) 454-1031
idainfo@idausa.org

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"Workers stuffed hundreds of terrified animals into cages to make the trip to the Chinese animal markets. No food or water was provided."

"The cages were packed so full that the animals couldn't move inside. And dying or dead animals were packed in with the living."

"When they arrived at the market, the cages were tossed 10 feet from the tops of the trucks to ground below, shattering the bones of the fearful animals inside."

"At the market, the killing methods used shocked even our most seasoned investigators—bludgeoning and even skinning the animals while they were still alive!"