Animals

PETA's all about protecting animals ... even the manmade ones apparently -- 'cause they fired off a letter to a Kansas company imploring them to stop putting critters on carousels.

The notorious animal rights activist group directed the letter to Aaron Landrum, the president and CEO of Chance Rides -- one of the largest manufacturers of amusement rides in the U.S.

In the letter, PETA has one plea ... take animals off carousels and replace them with vehicles -- like your basic car or even a freakin' rocket -- or whimsical designs like shooting stars and broomsticks.

The org. argues that putting animals -- even fake ones -- in a position where children can ride them celebrates "the exploitation of sentient beings" though PETA recognizes it's an entirely unintentional consequence.

Their letter points to alleged abuse toward real-life animals they fear will be spurred on by the continued existence of animal-themed carousels ... basically concerned these carousels "reinforce the notion" that animals are here for our pleasure instead of holding any emotions or inner lives of their own.

PETA flaunts its record a bit in this correspondence as well ... saying Trader Joe's and Nabisco -- among other companies -- have changed branding in recent years to remove pictures of animals in captivity after similar pleas from them.

Daring rescue in the middle of a historic storm dumping tons of rain on Los Angeles ... firefighters used a helicopter to save a man who jumped in a raging river to grab his dog.

The emergency situation played out Monday afternoon in the middle of the flooding L.A. River ... with LAFD crews bringing in a chopper to pull out a man who was stranded in the flowing water.

The guy was trying to bit somewhat of a hero himself ... he was attempting to save his dog, who had been swept away in the rapids during a flash flood.

As you can see, a helicopter hovered over the river and lowered a firefighter who grabbed the guy and pulled him to safety.

The poor pooch was saved too ... with the dog swimming to dry land on its own.

LAFD says both man and dog suffered minor injuries ... the guy was transported to a local hospital and the pup was taken to an animal shelter.

Firefighters are happy to report the dog is "alive and eager to reunite with his human."

As we reported ... the big storm, a Pineapple Express, is wreaking havoc in Southern California ... causing flash flooding, catastrophic landslides, and damage from debris and downed trees.

La policía dice que ha detenido a un sospechoso de secuestrar a un perrito, y cuyo caso se ha vuelto viral, pero por desgracia aún no encuentran al perro.

El Departamento de Policía de Los Ángeles anunció el sábado que detuvieron a Sadie Slater, de 21 años y residente de Los Ángeles, por un cargo de robo por su presunta implicación en el crimen. Su fianza está fijada en $70.000, de acuerdo con la policía de la ciudad.

Confirmamos la detención con fuentes policiales, quienes añadieron que han estado tratando de averiguar la ubicación del perro con la sospechosa.

Recuerden, Ali Zacharias estaba comiendo en el centro de Los Ángeles el mes pasado cuando una mujer se acercó, agarró la correa de su perro Onyx, y se fue con él. Ali la persiguió, pero el presunto ladrón alcanzó a subirse en un carro.

Ali se subió a su propio vehículo para perseguir a los ladrones por varias cuadras, temiendo por su vida hasta que el carro hizo un giro brusco y se perdió de vista.

Hablamos con Ali a principios de esta semana, quien nos dijo que la policía estaba empezando a tomarse en serio su caso, dada toda la atención que ha recibido de los medios de comunicación.

Bueno, la policía se lo está tomando en serio, con un primer sospechoso en custodia.

Police say they've arrested a suspect in the viral dognapping case ... but, unfortunately, they haven't found the dog yet.

The Los Angeles Police Department announced Saturday they've arrested Sadie Slater ... a 21-year-old L.A. resident on a robbery charge for her alleged involvement in the crime. Her bail is set at $70,000, according to the LAPD.

We've confirmed the arrest with law enforcement sources ... who added they've been trying to find out the dog's location from the suspect.

Remember ... the victim Ali Zacharias was eating lunch in DTLA last month when a woman came up, grabbed her dog Onyx's leash, and started to walk away with him. Ali gave chase before the alleged thief jumped into a car.

AZ leaped onto the hood of the thieves' getaway car and was driven around for several blocks, fearing for her life before the vehicle made a sharp turn and loosed her from the front.

We spoke with Ali earlier this week ... who told us police were starting to take her case seriously when all of the media attention spotlighted it.

Well, cops are certainly taking it seriously ... with their first suspect in custody.

An oversized rodent was apparently comfortable taking a look at the outside world this week -- which, according to an East Coast legend, means ... winter's starting to wind down.

Indeed, it's Groundhog Day (again) -- and per usual, the good people of Punxsutawney, PA put on their top hats and old-timey clothing to trot out a literal groundhog -- otherwise known as Phil -- to see how skittish he is in early February.

It's a long-running tradition -- basically, if this animal sees its shadow and goes scurrying away to hide ... that means 6 more weeks of winter. If not, spring is fast approaching.

On Friday, the groundhog apparently was leaning toward the latter ... which means it predicts spring is coming sooner than later. Whether that's actually true or not is anyone's guess -- and if we're being honest, nobody takes the big gerbil's forecast seriously anyway.

With that said ... Phil guessing on an early spring is somewhat notable -- 'cause it's the first time he's landed on that for a while. 2020 was the last time it thought winter was ending soon ... since then, he's been "predicting" longer winters.

BTW, there are other critters around the country that are due to make these sorts of calls today -- in Ohio, they have "Buckeye Chuck" ... and in GA there's "General Beauregard Lee."

Un roedor de gran tamaño estaba aparentemente tranquilo de echar un vistazo al mundo exterior esta semana, lo que según una leyenda de la Costa Este significa que el invierno está empezando a terminar.

De hecho, es el Día de la Marmota (de nuevo), y como de costumbre, la buena gente de Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, se puso sus sombreros de copa y su ropa de antaño para hacer trotar a una verdadera marmota -también conocida como Phil- para ver cuán asustada estaba de salir al mundo a principios de febrero.

Es una larga tradición y básicamente cuenta que si este animal ve su sombra y sale corriendo a esconderse, significa que hay al menos 6 semanas más de invierno. Si no, significa que la primavera se acerca rápidamente.

El viernes, aparentemente, la marmota se inclinó por esta segunda opción, lo que significaría que la primavera llegará más pronto de lo que se pensaba. Si eso es realmente cierto o no es una suposición, y seamos honestos, nadie se toma en serio el pronóstico de la marmota.

Dicho esto, que Phil esté adivinando que la primavera llegará pronto es algo notable, porque es la primera vez que llega a esa conclusión en un tiempo. La última vez fue en 2020, pero desde entonces ha estado "prediciendo" inviernos más largos.

Por cierto, hay otras criaturas en el país que podrían hacer este tipo de pronósticos, en Ohio tienen a "Buckeye Chuck" y en Georgia está el "General Beauregard Lee".

Amanda Gorman's landed in hot water, or should we say warm milk ... because PETA's coming after her for supporting a dairy industry-funded run.

The poet laureate and activist recently joined forces with MilkPEP -- a marketing arm of the dairy industry that created the famous "Got Milk?" ads -- to advertise the inaugural Every Woman’s Marathon, that's touted as "the only U.S. marathon designed for women, by women."

MilkPEP and Gorman released an ad where she recites a poem over different images of women running and training. Check out the vid -- it's a catchy poem and a pretty inspiring message.

But, not everyone's giving it two udders up. PETA's written a letter to Amanda questioning why she would support an event put on by MilkPEP ... essentially, in the org's eye, cosigning the dairy industry's alleged mistreatment of animals.

Lisa Lange, the animal rights group's senior VP of communications and distance runner, wrote the letter and expressed confusion at Gorman's partnership ... adding she'd "no more drink cow's milk at the end of a race than I would smoke a cigarette."

LL says any woman who participates in the event is a sucker, falling for a trick by the dairy industry -- which she accuses of destroying the environment, causing the cows physical and emotional distress and making a large part of the American population sick, due to lactose intolerance.

In the letter, PETA calls for Gorman to back out of the event, saying the "voice of a generation" must see "exploitation" of a female of any species -- bovine or human -- as wrong.

FWIW ... Gorman's supported animal rights causes in the past, even encouraging others to rescue animals from shelters after her beloved dog of almost 20 years died a few months ago.

As much as PETA agrees with her on that issue -- they're clearly not on the same page where this marathon's concerned. Not even close.

Amanda Gorman se ha metido en un buen lío, porque PETA va tras ella por apoyar una carrera financiada por la industria láctea.

La poetisa laureada y activista unió fuerzas recientemente con MilkPEP -una rama de marketing de la industria láctea que creó los famosos anuncios de "¿Tienes leche?"- para anunciar el maratón inaugural Every Woman's Marathon, que se promociona como "el único maratón de EE.UU. diseñado para mujeres, por mujeres".

MilkPEP y Gorman han publicado un anuncio en el que Gorman recita un poema sobre diferentes imágenes de mujeres corriendo y entrenando. Mira el video: es un poema pegadizo y un mensaje bastante inspirador.

Pero no todo el mundo está de acuerdo. PETA le ha escrito una carta a Amanda cuestionando por qué ella apoyaría un evento organizado por MilkPEP, especialmente si está bajo la mirada de la industria láctea que presuntamente maltrata a los animales.

La vicepresidenta senior de comunicaciones del grupo de derechos de los animales y corredora de distancia, escribió la carta y expresó su confusión por la asociación de Gorman, añadiendo que ella "no bebería leche de vaca al final de una carrera como no fumaría un cigarrillo".

LL dice que cualquier mujer que participe en el evento es una tonta, cayendo en un truco de la industria láctea a la que acusa de destruir el medio ambiente, causándole a las vacas angustia física y emocional y haciendo que una gran parte de la población estadounidense enferme, debido a la intolerancia a la lactosa.

En la carta, PETA le pide a Gorman que se retire del evento, diciendo que la "voz de una generación" debe ver la "explotación" de una hembra de cualquier especie -bovina o humana- como algo malo.

PARA SU INFORMACIÓN, Gorman ha apoyado causas de derechos de los animales en el pasado, incluso alentando a otros a rescatar a los animales de los refugios luego de que su amado perro de casi 20 años muriera hace unos meses.

Por mucho que PETA esté de acuerdo con ella en ese tema, está claro que no están de acuerdo en lo que respecta a este maratón. Ni siquiera cerca.

Un caballo de carreras dio positivo por metanfetamina tras ganar una carrera en Ohio, y el castigo del entrenador ha enfadado a PETA, que ahora exige que se le prohíba la entrada.

El caballo, Gardy's Legacy, fue sometido a un análisis de sangre tras ganar una carrera en el MGM Northfield Park el 3 de septiembre y dio positivo por metanfetamina, un delito de Clase 1 Categoría A según la Asociación de Trote de EE.UU.

Tras el resultado positivo, la Comisión de Carreras del Estado de Ohio suspendió entrenador Samuel Schillaci por un año y le ordenó pagar una multa de $1k.

El Standardbred también fue descalificado y las ganancias de $4.500 fueron devueltos.

Este castigo no fue suficiente para PETA, la mayor organización de defensa de los derechos de los animales del mundo, que ahora pide que Schillaci sea expulsado permanentemente del deporte.

"Esta pequeña multa administrativa y la suspensión no son proporcionales a una infracción tan grave", declaró el lunes Kathy Guillermo, Vicepresidenta de PETA.

"La metanfetamina pone en peligro la vida de un caballo y los entrenadores que tratan a un caballo de forma tan insensible también harán lo mismo con otros. La comisión debería tener en cuenta no solo la seguridad de Gardy's Legacy, sino también la de todos los demás caballos del establo de Schillaci".

"Aquellos que demuestran tal crueldad, muestran un claro desprecio por las regulaciones y no se les debería conceder el privilegio de competir en su estado nunca más".

Guillermo añadió: "Prohibiendo permanentemente a Schillaci competir en Ohio, crearía un ambiente más seguro para todos los participantes".

Desafortunadamente para PETA, la OSRC le dijo a FOX 8 en Cleveland que "los jueces dieron la pena máxima permitida por la ley".

A racehorse tested positive for meth after a winning run in Ohio ... and the trainer's slap-on-the-wrist punishment has pissed off PETA, who is now demanding he be banned.

The horse, Gardys Legacy A, was given a blood test after winning a race at the MGM Northfield Park on September 3 ... and it came back positive for D-methamphetamine, a Class 1 Category A offense according to the U.S. Trotting Association.

Following the positive result, the Ohio State Racing Commission suspended trainer Samuel Schillaci for one year ... and ordered him to pay a $1k fine.

The Standardbred was also disqualified ... and the $4,500 winnings were returned.

That punishment clearly wasn't enough for PETA, the largest animal rights organization in the world, who are now calling on Schillaci to be permanently banned from the sport.

"This small administrative fine and suspension aren’t commensurate with such a serious violation," PETA's Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo said on Monday.

"Administering meth endangers a horse’s life, and trainers who treat a horse so callously will do the same to others, too. The commission should consider not only the safety of Gardys Legacy A but also that of all the other horses in Schillaci’s barn."

"Those who demonstrate such cruelty even one time show a clear disregard for the regulations and shouldn’t be granted the privilege of competing in your state ever again."

Guillermo added, "By permanently barring Schillaci from competing in Ohio, you would create a safer environment for all participants."

Unfortunately for PETA, the OSRC told FOX 8 in Cleveland that "the judges gave the maximum penalty allowed by law."

La mujer que saltó sobre un carro en movimiento para tratar de detener a unos ladrones que robaron a su bulldog francés, dice que la policía finalmente está tomando en serio su caso, todo gracias a los medios de comunicación.

Ali Zacharias es la pobre mujer que tenía a su perro, Onyx, de paseo a plena luz del día en el centro de Los Ángeles a principios de este mes, cuando fue secuestrado por ladrones. Ella se unió a nosotros en "TMZ Live" el lunes para explicar exactamente cómo fue el asunto y lo que la policía está haciendo ahora para encontrar a los culpables.

Curiosamente, ella dice que la policía ha sido mucho más sensible ahora que el video apareció en las noticias, y por una buena razón, ya que es bastante dramático.

Como informamos, Ali estaba comiendo fuera de un Whole Foods cuando una mujer pasó y agarró la correa de Onyx y se alejó.

Ali dice que persiguió al secuestrador de perros y que se metió en un carro lleno de gente. Dice que se puso delante del carro, entonces se encontró aferrándose al capó para salvar su vida mientras los ladrones aceleraron a través de la ciudad temiendo por su vida.

El secuestro de perros descarado es similar a cuando el paseador de perros de Lady Gaga recibió un disparo para robarle sus bulldogs franceses. con el caso de Gaga que conduce a una enorme respuesta de la policía y la investigación.

El perro de Ali fue secuestrado el 18 de enero y el video solo salió a la luz el pasado fin de semana, y ahora que su historia está en los medios de comunicación, ella dice que la policía está siendo mucho más útil y sensible.

Los perros de Gaga fueron finalmente devueltos a ella sanos y salvos y Ali espera un final feliz también, además ofrece una recompensa por cualquier información sobre Onyx.

The woman who jumped on a moving car to try and stop thieves from stealing her French bulldog says cops are finally taking her case seriously ... all thanks to the media.

Ali Zacharias is the poor woman who had her dog, Onyx, taken from her in broad daylight in downtown Los Angeles earlier this month -- and she joined us on "TMZ Live" Monday to explain exactly how it went down, and what cops are doing now to find the culprits.

Interestingly, she says the LAPD has been much more responsive now that video of the daring and violent dognapping is in the news -- and for good reason ... it was dramatic as hell.

As we reported, Ali was eating outside a Whole Foods in DTLA when a woman walked by and grabbed Onyx's leash and walked away.

Ali says she chased after the dognapper, who got into a car full of people. She says she stood in front of the car, then found herself clinging to the hood for dear life as the thieves sped through town ... fearing for her life as the pavement flew by.

The brazen dognapping is similar to when Lady Gaga's dogwalker got shot over her French bulldogs ... with the Gaga case leading to a huge police response and investigation.

Ali's dog was taken Jan. 18 and the video only surfaced this past weekend, and now that her story is in the media -- she says LAPD is being way more helpful and responsive ... which we suppose is a good thing if it helps get her pooch home sooner.

Gaga's dogs were ultimately returned to her safe and sound ... and Ali's hoping for a happy ending here too, and offering a reward for any info on Onyx.

A state trooper happened upon an unreal site when he spotted a semi-truck filled with circus animals engulfed in flames ... with multiple agencies responding to help extinguish the flames and rescue the exotic species.

The trooper spotted the truck fire around 2 AM ... the 57-year-old driver had already escaped the inferno, leaving only the animals in need of aid.

The deputy from Grant County Sheriff's Office and a member of the circus managed to get the animals out and to safety ... and once backup arrived, they were able to secure the animals along the roadside.

Video of the aftermath shows Camels walking along the highway as they're being led to different trucks ... and the Marion Police said on Facebook, "All zebras & camels are safe and our public safety professionals of all stripes worked together to get over the hump on this job!!!"

In pics posted to social media, officers can be seen hamming it up with the exotic brood ... clearly as happy as kids at the circus.

Though the animals escaped unharmed ... 2 of the cops suffered smoke inhalation, but were treated at a nearby hospital and released.

The driver was reportedly uninjured.

Una banda de black metal podría haber ido demasiado lejos con su último truco... provocando la ira de los fans en redes sociales después de lanzar una cabeza de cerdo cortada en un concierto.

Martyrdom tocó en un concierto en el White Swan en Houston el viernes, cuando uno de los miembros de la banda llevó una cabeza de cerdo cortada al show y más tarde lo lanzó hacia el público.

Échale un vistazo al video, la cabeza se eleva entre la multitud, en medio de gritos y música a todo volumen. Alguien tomó una foto de la cabeza y tiene un aspecto bastante aterrador.

Ahora, si usted se está preguntando cómo reaccionó la gente en redes sociales... la respuesta es bastante clara de que NO es algo bien visto. Los chicos de la banda están recibiendo toneladas de reacciones negativas, con algunas personas haciendo referencia a "El Señor de las Moscas" y otros alegando crueldad animal.

Martyrdom debe haberse dado cuenta de que metieron la pata porque desde entonces han publicado una disculpa, diciendo que su truco se les fue de las manos y que no querían ofender a nadie. Además, piden disculpas a todos los "veganos, musulmanes u otros grupos minoritarios" a los que hayan ofendido, así como a cualquiera que haya resultado "herido" durante el acto. Por el momento, no está claro si el cerdo causó algún daño.

El grupo también se disculpó específicamente con el lugar y el operador de sonido ... aunque no está claro cómo podría haber sido afectado por el conjunto. Vale la pena señalar que la banda ha hecho esto antes, y el acto de lanzar cabezas de cerdo es una especie de pasatiempo de las bandas de metal y punto.

A black metal band might've gone too far with their latest gimmick ... drawing the ire of fans on social media after tossing around a severed pig head at a recent show.

Martyrdom played a gig at the White Swan in Houston, TX on Friday -- when one of the band members made the bonehead move of bringing a severed pig's head to the show ... and later hurling it around the room, some of which was caught on video.

Check out the vid -- pigs really do fly in this case, with the head soaring from the middle of a circle and into the crowd amid screams and blaring music. Someone also took a still of the head ... and it's a pretty terrifying-looking thing to have thrown in anyone's direction.

Now, if you're wondering how social media reacted ... the answer's pretty emphatically NOT good. The boys in the band are getting tons of backlash for bringing the head -- with some people making "Lord of the Flies" references ... and others playing the animal cruelty card.

Martyrdom must've realized they messed up because they've since released an apology -- saying their stunt got out of hand and they didn't mean to offend anyone. They went on to apologize to any "vegans, Muslims or other minority groups" they offended as well as anyone who was "harmed" during the act. At this point, it's unclear if the swine caused any injuries.

The group also apologized specifically to the venue, and the sound operator ... though it's unclear how he might've been affected by the set. Worth noting ... the band has done this before -- and the act of throwing pig heads is kind of a pastime of metal bands, period.

It's a sad day in Athens -- the University of Georgia's beloved live mascot, Uga X, has passed away, the school announced Tuesday. He was 10 years old.

Uga X -- AKA "Que" -- died peacefully in his sleep, according to a statement released minutes ago.

Que's tenure as the live mascot began during the 2015 football season ... and remained the furry face of the program until his retirement in 2022.

During his time with the Bulldogs, Que -- the grandson of Uga IX -- witnessed the most successful run in Georgia history ... a 91-18 record, two national championship wins, two SEC titles and seven New Year's Six bowl appearances.

Que was inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2022 ... as well as all his predecessors.

Uga XI -- AKA "Boom" -- took over for Que in April 2023.

Georgia's live mascots have been met with criticism in the past ... with PETA calling on the university to eliminate all four-legged friends from being used on game days.