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PETA Refuses To Assist in Colorado Cattle Rescue |
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Written by D.L. McCracken
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Friday, 05 January 2007 |
A spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) told Denver-based radio station KRFX that PETA would not be interested in assisting the Colorado National Guard with food drops in Colorado's continuing effort to feed and rescue over 300,000 cattle that have been stranded throughout a large part of that state due to several serious blizzards.
PETA spokesperson Reannon Peterson who was being interviewed by KRFX morning show hosts Rick Lewis and Michael Floorwax via telephone, when asked if PETA would help in the massive rescue effort avoided the question by criticizing the cattle ranchers for not providing 340,000 cattle with shelters and stated that "the situation could have been avoided". Peterson continued with her criticism of the ranchers who, according to her, mistreat their cattle on a continuous basis.
Several times throughout the interview Lewis and Floorwax asked Peterson repeatedly if PETA would join the rescue efforts but could not get a 'yes' or 'no' response. Instead the spokesperson found herself mired in a tirade against the ranchers and their tactics. She finally told the morning hosts that a rescue effort of this "tragic situation" is "not the most noble cause" and was not practical for "this specific situation".
Finally the truth spilled out when Peterson asked, "Why are we so worried about keeping them [the cattle] just so we can kill them in six months so they can become a steak dinner?"
At the time of Peterson's telephone interview, the hosts were also talking to Colorado Governor Bill Owens in studio who sat through the entire PETA interview speechless. Finally the governor, out of sheer frustration called the organization "frauds" and "losers".
This isn't the first time that PETA has been in the news for exhibiting less than compassionate emotion toward the very creatures they profess to protect. As reported on HalifaxLive.com in the summer of 2005, two PETA employees were arrested and charged with 22 counts of Cruelty to Animals. Andrew Benjamin Cook and Adria Joy Hinkle were taking possession of 22 animals including puppies and kittens from a local animal hospital on behalf of PETA and the promise to re-home the strays. The two however are accused of allegedly killing the animals, stuffing them in trash bags and disposing 18 of the bodies in a dumpster. Thirteen more dead animals were found in a PETA-owned van. Cook and Hinkle are scheduled for trial later this month. |
