Wyoming kicked 'em in the chops today, too!
Cheyenne, Wyo. — PETA had hoped that its new anti-fishing billboard would reach anglers in Cheyenne, but outdoor-advertising companies have thrown cold water on the idea.
The ad shows a dog whose lip has been impaled with a fishhook, alongside the tagline "If You Wouldn’t Do This to a Dog, Why Do It to a Fish?" and steers observers to PETA’s Web site FishingHurts.com. PETA is placing the ad in fishing hotspots across the country to let anglers know that there’s nothing sporting about fishing, that fish feel pain, and that fish are individuals who deserve compassion, just as dogs and cats do. The ad was rejected by every Cheyenne billboard company that PETA approached.
Scientific research confirms what marine biologists have been saying for years: Fish are intelligent individuals, just as dogs and cats are. A recent issue of Fish and Fisheries was devoted entirely to fish intelligence, citing more than 500 research papers that prove that fish are smart, that they can use tools, and that they have impressive long-term memories and sophisticated social structures. Oxford University scientists even discovered that fish learn faster than dogs.
So-called "catch and release" fishing is cruel and often deadly to fish. Mouth wounds from hooks make it difficult or impossible for fish to eat and can lead to deadly infections. Just handling or netting fish can abrade their protective coating and lead to death.
"Fishing isn’t a sport—it’s just legalized cruelty. Imagine putting a hook through your dog’s mouth and dragging him or her behind your car—you’d be locked up and rightly so," says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. "If you wouldn’t rip into a dog’s lip, you shouldn’t rip into a fish’s lip—when it comes to pain, it’s all the same."
http://www.peta.org/mc/NewsItem.asp?id=8174
Lot of animals look good on a rotisserie. I'm guessing PETA had a different image in mind.
Now this is barbaric. I've been reading about it--I think "surgical" is too clinical a descriptor. Fortunately research into nontraumatic methods is showing promise.
PETA's marketing director must be a lunatic: first the holocaust (chicken) ad, and now this.
he/she doesn't seem to be aware that the purpose of ads is to win people over to PETA's point of view, not drive them away!
from PETA website:
"Edie Falco is best known for her role as the tough, devoted mom, Carmela Soprano, on HBO's hit TV series The Sopranos. This talented actor shows a soft spot for animals as she takes on a new role to spread the message about the link between animal abuse and domestic violence.
As Carmela, she's is no stranger to the consequences of violence, and in real life, Edie knows that when humans abuse an animal companion, they are more likely to abuse another human."
Oddly enough, a crucified lamb would be a perfectly legitimate Catholic symbol for Easter, although the meaning of which would be completely lost on PETA.
"204. NEVER nail a stuffed bunny to a cross and put it up in front of the Battalion Headquarters sign as an "Easter Desecration."
"116. Crucifying mice - bad idea."
"39. Not allowed to ask for the day off due to religious purposes, on the basis that the world is going to end, more than once."