PETA

PETA wants Elon Musk's animal testing at Neuralink shut down, and says the best way to make it happen is for millions of bird app users to speak up, and against the Chief Twit.

A rep for the animal rights org. tells TMZ ... "Neuralink and the University of California-Davis are responsible for the deaths of at least 15 monkeys because of Elon Musk’s quest to stick a chip in a human’s brain."

PETA says this kind of experimentation dates back at least 2 decades at other companies -- but notes, in just a few short years, Neuralink is piling up animal corpses all on its own.

The org adds, "Experimenting on and killing animals is never good science, and since monkeys in Musk’s experiments have also died for reasons that have nothing to do with these studies, the laboratory should be closed."

PETA's solution, we're told, includes urging the USDA's inspector general to get to the bottom of why animal protection laws were allegedly violated -- as cited in a Reuters report, which detailed in-house workers' concerns with the growing number of animal tests and deaths. Reuters says at least 1,500 animals have been killed at Neuralink since 2018, in the advancement of research, and to meet Musk's alleged timetable for the chip.

Now, PETA's looking to put the pressure on Elon by using his new $44 billion toy against him -- it's calling on Twitter users to flood the app with protest tweets tagging @elonmusk and his company @neuralink.

Neuralink has made promises of being able to help combat paralysis by allowing patients to simply think out a task that machinery would then complete.

Earlier this year, there was some indication Elon would start human trials, but it doesn't seem that's happened yet.

Jason Momoa says he's not cutting bacon from his diet, despite adopting a wild pig ... but PETA's lookin' to change his mind, by sending him a gift basket full of piggy alternatives.

PETA tells TMZ ... the company's sending Aquaman a package with staples from the vegan/vegetarian community -- including fakin' bacon, plant-based jerky, sham ham, and pigless pork rinds.

Jason's not just getting food -- the basket's coming with a cute plush pig ... with a message -- "Pigs are friends, not food."

ICYMI, we got Jason in L.A. Wednesday after he posted about his little pig, Manapua ...  but told us he's stickin' to his diet as usual -- despite having a new porky pal.

PETA's rep says JM clearly loves his adopted pig, so their team's hoping he'll open himself up to leaving pigs off the table ... after getting a taste for what else is out there.

PETA is putting Zac Efron on BLAST after appearing in an ad campaign with a bear that has spent its entire life in captivity.

The org is urging Zac to "come down to Earth" and recognize that bears belong with their families, not on screen ... according to Debbie Metzler, PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Welfare.

She thinks Zac, who's been named Chief Brand Officer for Kodiak Cakes, forgot to ask Tank the bear an important question in his latest ad for the company -- "How wrong is it to use a captive bear to promote 'keeping bears wild'?"

BTW -- 27-year-old Tank was born in captivity and was taken from a breeder at just 6 weeks old ... he was featured on the Discovery+ Show, "Man Vs. Bear."

Kodiak Cakes is running a limited-time collab with Zac, where a dollar-for-dollar match of their "Keep It Wild" merch will go directly to the Vital Ground Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the preservation of wild grizzly bear habitats.

PETA, however, clapped back at the promo saying ... “It’s hypocritical to exploit one animal to potentially help another. No true conservation group would ever force captive animals to perform tricks for the camera in order to raise awareness about their wild counterparts.”

A familiar foe is coming for Floyd Mayweather, but it's not Logan Paul or Conor McGregor -- PETA is going scorched-earth on the boxing legend over the $18,000 mink car seat he got for his grandson ... calling it a "monstrosity."

TMZ Sports broke the story -- TBE recently had a one-of-a-kind car seat installed into his 2022 Rolls-Royce Cullinan ... which was made with real fur and customized for baby Kentrell Jr., the son of Yaya Mayweather and NBA Youngboy.

The folks at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals were pissed to find out about the purchase ... ripping into Floyd's decision-making and bringing up the time he was arrested for domestic violence in 2010 in the process.

"Did Floyd Mayweather, who has a history of assault and battery of defenseless victims, really seek to update it by supporting an industry that throttles animals to death in addition to poisoning and electrocuting them?" PETA said in a statement.

"This man is hardly a role model for compassion and understanding, but to try to make cruelty look attractive to a child could earn him a medal for corrupting the natural kindness of a minor."

The two sides have been enemies for years -- in 2012, the org. went after Floyd for making comments comparing his training to dogfighting ... to which he replied, "s***, I don't give a f***, 'cause I wear mink coats. I'm gonna wear chinchilla, and I'm gonna rock mink coats."

Despite their history, PETA is offering to fix its issue with Floyd.

"PETA is calling on Mayweather to take a jab at teaching kindness, not cruelty, by replacing this monstrosity with faux fur, as most designers, department stores, and consumers have -- and PETA would be happy to provide it."

Jack Harlow's squashed his beef with Brandy, but now he's got PETA on his ass ... and his manager, DJ Drama's speaking up for him, saying the org has the wrong idea about what went down on Jack's music vid shoot.

We caught up with Jack’s Generation Now boss at LAX, where he was feeling great about a big biz move. More on that in a moment, Drama also addressed the controversy over Jack's Drake-featured "Churchill Downs" video.

ICYMI ... PETA had a cow over the music vid, calling for JH and Drizzy to make huge donations to combat racehorse abuse. The video shows horses racing at the 2022 Kentucky Derby.

Drama says he and the team brought no harm to any horses, and coming down on the rappers is a bit misguided. Bottom line? Doesn't sound like PETA's getting those donations.

All that aside, there are big things on the horizon for Drama and Generation Now, which he runs with producer Don Cannon and exec Leighton "Lake" Morrison.

Just last week, they signed an extended deal with Atlantic Records, their partner since 2015 ... a moment that created a "grown man" celebration for Drama.

There's also Jack's upcoming role in the "White Men Can't Jump" reboot ... and if this all works to perfection, Drama sees his protégé landing in Will Smith and Mark Wahlberg's territory.

Now ex-"Black Ink Crew" star Ceaser Emanuel is being investigated by animal services and local law enforcement after the video of him allegedly abusing dogs picked up traction online.

A rep for Fulton County Animal Services tells TMZ ... they've been working hard with South Fulton PD to look into what went down outside Ceaser's home.

CE's lawyer's already told us the viral video was recorded during the COVID lockdown ... but Fulton's animal services say, under the statute of limitations, there is still time to charge him.

Animal rights groups have been furious ... PETA Sr. Vice President Lisa Lange tells TMZ, "Animal abusers are often repeat offenders, and this dangerous person must be held accountable and barred from owning any animal."

As we reported, Ceaser was kicked off the VH1 series Thursday for the incident, but when we spoke to him hours later ... he insisted the video doesn't reflect his true self.

He claims his dogs were fighting and he was just trying to separate them.

Ceasar's rep tells us the Fulton County police have already questioned Ceasar, and the rep claims cops found nothing wrong and that his dogs are safe, healthy and show no signs of abuse.

Further, Ceaser's team claims it was an ex-girlfriend who reported him to cops, and leaked his surveillance video online ... all for revenge because he broke up with her and cut her off financially.

The rep adds, "Although his actions were not appropriate at all, [Ceasar] is sincerely apologetic and feels extremely bad. He is dealing with death threats which is causing him fear and depression. His only goal was to build an empire to help build jobs and bring the black community in the tattoo industry successful given that the community is limited there."

Happy the elephant will NOT be freed from the Bronx Zoo ... after New York's highest court ruled the animal is not legally a person and is thus not being illegally detained.

The ruling from the Court of Appeals came down Tuesday ... a 5-2 decision rejecting an animal rights organization's argument that Happy deserves the same liberty rights as a human.

Remember ... the Nonhuman Rights Project sued to get Happy out of the zoo and moved to a more spacious sanctuary, arguing the Asian elephant is worthy of protections afforded to people as a cognitively complex and autonomous animal. Happy was captured in Asia back in the '70s when she was only 1 year old and has been at the Bronx Zoo ever since.

The issue before the court ... whether the writ of habeas corpus -- which humans use to challenge illegal confinement -- should apply to super smart animals like elephants. The judges ruled, no.

It's interesting ... the decision noted the potential snowball effect legally recognizing Happy as a person might have on society, with Chief Judge Janet DiFiore noting there could be "an enormous destabilizing impact on modern society."

However, two judges dissented, saying Happy should not be prevented from having certain liberty rights just because she's an animal.

Doc Antle has been mixed up with some shady business dealings involving huge sums of cash that crossed over into illegal territory -- at least according to federal prosecutors.

The 'Tiger King' star's federal indictment was unsealed Monday -- this after he was arrested by the FBI last week in South Carolina -- and his charges are spelled out clear as day. He's facing 2 money laundering counts ... and is accused of having laundered upwards of $500k with an employee/business partner of his who was in on the alleged plot.

Per the docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Doc and this employee, Andrew Sawyer, were soliciting people as early as 2019 to help launder money through a check-writing scheme in which they'd get cash upfront and write a check back to the person ... minus a fee for helping clean the money.

The feds allege Doc and Sawyer had a 15% washing fee ... and that the guys laundered around $505,000 between February and April of 2022. The FBI says they had 2 undercover informants working the case -- and claim to have tons of incriminating audio recordings and tapes of both men.

We'd already been told his bust had to do with alleged money laundering, but now we're getting the full breadth of the case -- and it's pretty insane. They make Doc sound like a regular white collar crook ... albeit one who lives in a lot of greenery.

As you know, Doc runs a wildlife preserve down in Myrtle Beach ... where he houses a ton of different animals in a zoo-like environment. Unfortunately for him, the operation there has also been the subject of much scrutiny since he was put on the map via 'Tiger King.'

In fact, Doc had previously faced criminal charges on the state level for alleged wrongdoing at the Myrtle Beach Safari -- Virginia's AG hit with an indictment of their own, alleging he was trafficking lion cubs across state lines ... which Doc denied at the time.

He's also gotten heat from PETA for letting celeb guests swing by and interact with the animals on a very personal level. Still, PETA never had any real power to make him change his practices.

Doc's due to show up in court on Monday to hear the charges against him -- although, it's unclear if he's going to enter a plea or not. The first count carries a max sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Doc Antle -- who found fame among the sea of characters on 'Tiger King' -- has been arrested in South Carolina.

Online jail records indicate the 62-year-old -- real name, Bhagavan Antle -- was booked within the last hour in Horry County, South Carolina. Interestingly enough, the arresting agency is the FBI ... though, at this time, it's unclear why he's been arrested.

Antle's the owner of Myrtle Beach Safari, and has faced plenty of criticism over the years for his operation, a lot of which has come thanks to celebrity visits he's held.

However, in October 2020 he was indicted in Virginia for felony wildlife trafficking after an investigation found evidence he trafficked lion cubs between South Carolina and Virginia.

After the indictment, Doc told us, “I am terribly shocked and disappointed at the charges that have been filed against me by the Commonwealth of Virginia, and how they have sought to involve my daughters in this matter. I categorically deny any act or conduct that could ever be considered as “animal cruelty."

He's also come under fire from PETA for hosting guests like Larsa Pippen and Chris Brown's daughter, Royalty, and allowing them to interact with young animals.

Story developing ...

PETA is pissed at Jack Harlow for "glamorizing horse racing" in his latest music video ... calling on him to make things right by donating his earnings for the project immediately.

A rep for PETA tells TMZ ... Jack made a big mistake showing off the sport in his "Churchill Downs" video with Drake. They say he's only showing the positives about the event, and is "missing the whips, drugs, and deaths that run rampant in the industry."

They believe Jack's profiting off the abuse of animals, and are urging the rapper to pay for the care of American Thoroughbreds who would otherwise be sent off to slaughterhouses.

According to PETA, an average of 3 racehorses die on U.S. tracks every day ... and they claim 7,500 Thoroughbreds are exported to be slaughtered every year.

Ciara and Russell Wilson welcomed a new puppy to the family for Mother's Day, but PETA's taking them to task for buying the pup from a breeder, and not rescuing a pooch from a shelter instead.

PETA believes it's clear -- the couple's new dog, Bronco, is a purebred puppy -- and likely from a breeder where "mother dogs are often locked inside filthy cages and bred over and over until their bodies give out."

The animal rescue org also uses some Ciara song references in calling out Russ, telling us the QB made a "One, Two Step mistake by killing a shelter dog's chances of finding a home."

They continue, "PETA is calling on the couple to Level Up on kindness by adopting a companion for this pup instead of fueling the homeless-animal crisis."

As we've told you, Ci and Russ revealed they welcomed their new doggy to the fam over Mother's Day weekend, naming her Bronco after Russ' new team in Denver. Ciara called the puppy, "the sweetest surprise."

James Cromwell has had enough of Starbucks upcharge for vegan milks ... protesting the move by supergluing his hand to a counter as part of a planned PETA demonstration.

The actor joined a group of PETA protesters Tuesday morning at a Starbucks in Manhattan, where they made a fuss about Starbucks making folks pay more to avoid dairy milk from cows.

James, wearing a shirt reading "Free the Animals," railed against the cons of traditional milk as he was superglued to the counter ... shouting at baristas, who seemed unbothered and kept serving cups of joe.

PETA and James' beef believe Starbucks is discriminating against folks who can't have dairy, punishing them by making them pay more for vegan alternatives like almond milk and oat milk, which are more environmentally conscious.

James says it's a matter of life-and-death in the context of what he sees as a climate catastrophe.

The superglue move is similar to what we saw last month during an NBA game in Minnesota ... when a protester glued her hand to the court to protest Timberwolves owner, Glen Taylor, and his factory egg farm.

Cops showed up to the Starbucks, but James freed his hand from the counter with a knife so he would not get busted.

Alan Cumming is on the hunt for his missing chimpanzee former co-star, Tonka ... and, he's putting up $10K to anyone who might have any info.

Tonka was last seen in a cage at a chimp breeding facility in Missouri. The facility no longer exists, but it was a place where chimps were bred then sold to private owners or rented out for movies and parties.

In case you didn't know, Alan and his furry friend go way back ... starring in the 1997 comedy "Buddy" together, alongside Rene Russo.

In a statement, Alan said ... “During the months we filmed together, baby Tonka and I became good friends, playing and grooming each other and just generally larking about".

And, whoever might have any information on the missing chimp will be walking away with double the money ... cause PETA put up another $10K reward, making the total cash about $20K.

Absolutely wild moment during the Clippers vs. Timberwolves game on Tuesday night -- a fan made her way down to the court and glued herself to the floor ... and everyone, including the players, was stunned by the sight.

The incident went down in the second quarter of the NBA game at the Target Center in Minnesota ... when a woman attempted to stick herself to the hardwood using some Elmer's.

The woman sprayed the adhesive just underneath one of the baskets as the teams were down on the other end of the court, and then she pressed her hand firmly into it.

When security arrived to get her off the floor -- she refused to get up, insisting her wrist was glued down.

Eventually, though, the woman complied with guards and was escorted off the floor.

In a statement released by animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere, officials from the org. said the woman made the scene in an effort to protest Wolves owner Glen Taylor.

The officials accused Taylor and his employees of wrongly killing chickens on his factory egg farm in Iowa. They added that the protester's sweater during Tuesday's game read, "GLEN TAYLOR ROASTS ANIMALS ALIVE."

Wolves guard Patrick Beverley said after the game he did attempt to help the woman out during the protest ... and was praying that she was OK.

No word if the woman was arrested for the stunt ... but the Wolves said in a statement that they were "in touch with Target Center Security to address the incident."

PETA is not a fan of the new "Jackass Forever" film, and is demanding prosecutors launch a criminal investigation, claiming the production violated animal cruelty laws.

A rep for Peta tells TMZ ... the Paramount Pictures movie, which appears to have been filmed at least partially in Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo County, likely broke state animal protection laws with scenes involving all sorts of critters.

PETA says a spider was "provoked" into biting an actor's chest, a turtle "harassed and goaded" to bite an actor's testicles, and a snake "harangued and provoked" into biting someone's nose.

But wait, there's more, allegedly ... a tarantula "trapped" in a tube, and a bull "deliberately agitated" into charging and injuring Johnny Knoxville.

PETA also claims Knoxville and Steve-O provoked honeybees into stinging Steve-O's penis, killing many bees in the process ... and a scorpion was put in the mouth of an unnamed jackass and repeatedly hit until it stung.

The org fired off a couple of letters, obtained by TMZ, to the L.A. City Attorney and San Luis Obispo County D.A. ... urging them to investigate the production and take legal action.

PETA thinks an investigation could lead to charges against Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Eric André, director Jeff Tremaine, producer Spike Jonze ... and others, including those responsible for providing the animals used in the film.

PETA's Senior VP Lisa Lange tells TMZ ... "If Steve-O and Johnny Knoxville want to make a career out of nasty little boy fantasies, they're entitled to, as long as they don't stress, harm, poke, prod, scare, or bother animals who are used as living props for their idiocy."

Lange adds ... "PETA is reminding city and county prosecutors that no one is above the law and that while the rest of the world wants to save bees and recognizes animals as sentient individuals, these jackasses exploit and abuse them for fun."

As we first reported, Steve-O and Pontius are also being sued over a jet ski stunt that allegedly left a man badly injured.

Houston Astros closer Ryan Pressly is now warming up in the ... arm barn???

If PETA had its way, those words would be muttered at some point during this month's World Series ... 'cause the org. is urging the MLB to stop using the term "bullpen" to describe the place where pitchers warm up.

PETA explained its stance in a news release Thursday ... saying "bullpen" is insensitive to cows. The org. said baseball should instead use "arm barn" to avoid the issue.

"Words matter, and baseball 'bullpens' devalue talented players and mock the misery of sensitive animals," PETA exec Tracy Reiman said.

The org. added that it's all a problem because bullpens are places where cows go before they're slaughtered on farms ... and where the animals go before they're treated poorly at rodeos.

"Strike out the word 'bullpen,' which references the holding area where terrified bulls are kept before slaughter," PETA said, "in favor of a more modern, animal-friendly term."

Seems unlikely baseball makes it happen -- the term has been around the game for more than 100 years -- but ya gotta admit, "arm barn" is kinda catchy.