PETA

Celebrity stylist Jonathan Wright recently took to IG to mourn the death of his pet monkey Deor ... an animal PETA says he had no business owning in the first place.

As a result, PETA has sent a letter to Dallas authorities requesting an investigation into Deor's death. The org also wants Wright banned from buying another exotic animal.

PETA thinks Wright might have violated a city ordinance that prevents the ownership of prohibited animals, like the 2 macaque monkeys Wright owned ... in addition to a Texas Penal Code designed to enforce the proper care of domesticated animals in one's custody.

Deor is the second monkey since 2021 to pass away in Wright's care -- the other was named Freeenn.

It's unclear why either animal died, but PETA Foundation primatologist Debbie Metzler tells TMZ that monkeys that are snatched at too young an age from their mothers are at high risk for zoonotic diseases.

Metzler says Herpes B, which is deadly to humans, is commonplace in macaque monkeys. Medical risks aside, she says humans are generally ill equipped to give monkeys the highly social environment they need to thrive.

Pete Davidson getting his new dog from a pet store and not from an animal shelter comes as a disappointment to the folks over at PETA.

Daphna Nachminovitch, the Senior VP of Cruelty Investigations over at PETA, tells TMZ ... "It's tragic that Pete didn’t seek out a borough-born mutt from a city animal shelter, because a scrappy New Yorker with charm, personality, and unconventional handsomeness could have been his perfect match."

As we reported ... Pete and his actress girlfriend Chase Sui Wonders picked up a cavapoo puppy last month from Citipups in Manhattan, and the dog is from a breeder.

PETA is urging Pete to consider adopting the next time he needs a four-legged friend, with Daphna telling us ... "Since shelters in New York and across the country are overflowing with homeless animals, PETA urges Pete to show some big heart energy by adopting, not shopping, in the future."

Remember ... Pete picked out the pup after seeing a photo of him on Citipups' website.

Of course, the whole reason Pete was looking for a puppy in the first place was because his dog Henry recently died at just 2 years old.

We covered it all in the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Rihanna wore quite the getup in New York last night -- one that was all fur and all high fashion ... from head to toe.

The singer was photographed out and about in the Big Apple Saturday, where we're told she was grabbing dinner ... although there's no sign of her partner, A$AP Rocky. What we can see, though, is RiRi wearing this wacky ensemble ... which all starts with a big hat.

Of course, her eyewear gives away what she's rocking here ... it's Chanel, and it seems she was feeling a little Cruella de Vil-ish with the black-and-white theme.

Speaking of that, it's unclear if this is real fur or not. We know PETA recently reached out to her and tried sending her some faux fur stuff -- but we have no idea if she entertained it. In any case, Rihanna was feeling herself ... which probably translates for her new kiddo too.

Joe Gatto was a knight in shining armor to a woman who was being berated over a fur coat ... he's on camera coming to her defense and calling her foe a "piece of s***."

The heated exchange played out north of the border in Montreal ... and the video picks up with a woman in a fur coat being shamed over her fashion choice as she waits to cross a busy intersection with her two dogs.

Joe, the former "Impractical Jokers" star who is currently on a comedy tour ... walks over and asks the woman if she needs help, telling the anti-fur activist to quit harassing her and "stop being a piece of s***."

Joe was Johnny-on-the-spot here ... the woman's clearly flustered and is trying to explain why the fur coat doesn't make her a terrible person, and the guy's being pretty combative.

The fur debate doesn't seem to be the issue for Joe -- it's snowing out and he's not wearing a fur coat to stay warm himself -- rather, he didn't like the way the man was going after the woman.

Frankly, in this day and age, ya never know what these folks are gonna do.

The anti-fur activist Len Goldberg tells TMZ... "I'm saddened that Joe Gatto, who represents himself publicly as an animal lover, would call me a "piece of s***" when all I did was repeatedly ask this woman why she supports skinning beaver but not dogs for a status statement, instead of letting her change the subject as all fur-wearers do when I pose this question. I'm sad Joe doesn't regard these beaver, who were crushed to death for a fur coat, as being the real victims."

Joe is a big advocate for adopting dogs, at one time boasting 12 of his own ... so it's not like he's necessarily pro-fur -- he just didn't like the way the lady was treated.

Rihanna is getting a new addition to her wardrobe ... PETA is sending her a faux fur coat after the pregnant singer appeared to wear real fur to dinner.

Here's the deal ... Rihanna was photographed this week in a full-length fur coat, which PETA tells us is almost certainly made of the real deal ... and now the animal rights org wants RiRi to make some fashion changes.

PETA fired off a letter, obtained by TMZ, to Rihanna's team ... saying they noticed her fur coat, then pled their case for switching to faux fur and offered up a faux fur coat.

In the letter, PETA's senior vice president Lisa Lange cites Rihanna's growing family, writing ... "As a mother, you know what it's like to feel protective and to want to make sure no harm comes to your family. Please understand that this desire -- this instinct even -- is shared by the minks, foxes, and rabbits who are torn away from their families and killed for their fur."

PETA then asks Rihanna, "Won't you please help create a kinder world for your children to grow up in by deciding today that you'll no longer wear fur?"

The org offers to take any of Rihanna's fur clothes off her hands and donate them to survivors of the recent earthquakes in Syria and Turkey ... PETA says those folks truly have an excuse to wear real fur because they lost everything and now have to survive winter.

PETA also tells Rihanna they're sending her a faux fur coat from Unreal Fur, which they say will help her "stay warm and fashionable while making the cruelty-free switch."

Former Univ. of Georgia stars Knowshown Moreno and Tavarres King are firing back at PETA ... telling TMZ Sports the animal rights org. should kick rocks for demanding their live bulldog mascot be removed from its role.

PETA initially took aim at the school after the National Championship Game earlier this year -- requesting the university retire Uga for good ... calling the dog's position as team mascot cruel to the animal.

But, when we talked with Moreno and King about the situation earlier this month, they both said Uga is living better than some students do!

"I feel like those pets live the best lives!" said Moreno, who played at UGA from 2006 to 2008. "Uga live the life!"

"I don't think folks know how good of a life Uga lives," added King, a receiver for the Bulldogs from 2008 to 2012. "Uga lives a good one."

FYI -- Georgia has used a live mascot since the 1950s ... starting with Uga I. The current mascot is Uga X.

Both Moreno and King said they've personally seen the dogs be treated like royalty, telling us the pups get fed regularly -- and even have first-class seats on team planes.

King also said the mascot's dog house has air conditioning!

Ex-NFL player Derek Wolfe says he's faced a ton of backlash after killing a mountain lion that was allegedly wreaking havoc in Colorado ... saying there have been more than 200 complaints filed against him -- despite the hunt being 100% legal.

The former Denver Broncos defensive end described the harassment he's experienced in an interview with Tucker Carlson on Monday ... saying he "can't believe what's happened to me" following last week's hunt.

"I can't believe that going on a legal hunt, doing something legal, by the book -- they've had 200 calls to Colorado Parks and Wildlife trying to turn me in like I did something wrong," Wolfe said on Fox News.

"[I] did nothing wrong. Everything's legal."

Wolfe explained mountain lions have become a serious issue in the area ... claiming there have been 23 attacks on humans since 1990. On top of that, Wolfe says 15 dogs were killed by mountain lions within a 30-day period in an area near Boulder last year.

Of course, animal lovers have been infuriated with the whole situation ... with some claiming the NFLer should have left the cat alone. But, the hunter says Colorado Parks and Wildlife approved of his plan to kill the cat ... and he went about the whole thing the right way.

"[I] was able to make a good shot, a good ethical shot, and harvested the cat. Got him out of there and did everything by the book."

"This was completely legal. CPW came down and checked the cat in for me," the 32-year-old said.

As for what happened to the mountain lion ... Wolfe says it's gonna end up on his dinner table.

Kylie Jenner wearing a lion's head to a fashion show is getting positive reviews from an unlikely source ... the world's most famous animal rights group.

Yes, PETA is on board with the billionaire's wild outfit from Paris Fashion Week, with PETA president Ingrid Newkirk telling TMZ ... "Kylie's look celebrates lions' beauty and may be a statement against trophy hunting, in which lion families are torn apart to satisfy human egotism."

As we reported ... Kylie rocked the regal look Monday at the Schiaparelli Haute Couture show in Paris and made sure to let everyone know it wasn't a real lion, saying it's a "faux art creation constructed by hand using manmade materials."

The Schiaparelli show also featured Naomi Campbell wearing a black wolf's head, which was most likely also fake.

PETA's president is applauding Kylie for going faux, telling us ... "These fabulously innovative three-dimensional animal heads show that where there’s a will, there's a way."

The back-slapping from PETA is a big turnaround for Kylie ... remember, she's been shamed in the past by animal rights activists for wearing real fur.

Kylie Jenner takes the crown for the most talked about gown at Paris Fashion Week, and she's also likely to be public enemy #1 with animal rights groups ... after rocking a lion's head on her shoulder.

Kylie definitely had the most regal look Monday at the Schiaparelli Haute Couture show in Paris. Let's face it, accessorizing a classic black dress with the head of a vulnerable species on your shoulder will always draw eyeballs.

Clearly, realizing folks would immediately @ PETA ... Kylie posted a thank you to the designer and made sure to include it's a "faux art creation constructed by hand using manmade materials."

That seemed kinda obvious ... think what you will of the Kardashian-Jenners, but public relations is their thing, so ya can't think Kylie would've worn a REAL lion.

Even though it's fake, there's plenty of backlash for the imagery alone. The Schiaparelli show also featured Naomi Campbell wearing a black wolf's head, which was most likely also fake -- but, critics are still blasting the looks as cruel and "twisted."

Ironically, the designer passed on using Doja Cat for one of those wild feline styles (too on the nose?), and instead decked her out in a red beaded dress -- but to make it weird and ridiculous, also painted Doja herself red and beaded!!! Think Blue Man Group with blisters.

Fresh off Georgia's blowout national championship win, the Bulldogs already have a new enemy -- PETA -- 'cause the animal rights org. is calling for the victors to officially retire their live mascot, Uga.

TMZ Sports has learned, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals fired off a letter to University of Georgia president, Jere Morehead this week ... asking the school to replace its iconic English bulldog, Uga X, with a human at sporting events.

The org. claims Uga's presence at games increases demand for breathing-impaired breeds like pugs, bulldogs and boxers ... and they want Georgia to lead by example.

PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman released a statement on the matter ... saying, "As the back-to-back national champion, can’t UGA find it in its heart to honestly examine the impact of its promotion of deformed dogs and call time on its outdated, live-animal mascot program?"

"PETA is calling on Jere Morehead to be a peach and replace poor Uga with a human mascot who can support the team in a winning way."

Of course, Georgia has used live mascots since the 1950s ... starting with Uga I. The current mascot, Uga X, did not make the trip to Los Angeles for Monday's game due to the five plus hour flight.

Dakota Johnson has a new ad campaign with Gucci -- where she's rocking a ton of their gear, including animal skin handbags -- and PETA isn't happy about it ... not at all.

The actress just came out as an official ambassador for the luxury fashion brand, and appeared in a new commercial where she's showing off a ton of their products -- and, of course, there's photoshoots galore where DJ is in all Gucci. So, she's all in.

The problem, according to PETA, is that a couple of these Gucci handbags Dakota's advertising here are made with authentic reptile skins ... specifically, python and crocodile. Gucci isn't hiding it either, as its website touts the fact the hides are the real deal.

That doesn't sit right with the animal rights org -- and it let Dakota know all about it in an informative, yet somewhat scathing, letter to her team.

In the correspondence, obtained by TMZ, PETA takes issue with Gucci's python and crocodile handbags -- ranging from $3,100 to $31k -- being so unabashedly flaunted by Dakota ... which they say is odd, since she's outspoken on a lot of social issues.

They're right, her IG is full of advocacy posts for everything from BLM to women's rights and a lot more.

So, PETA's asking if she cares about the animals that were slaughtered for the bags -- and reminds her poachers and hunters go to extreme lengths to obtain the skins ... including torturing and ripping them to pieces while still alive.

PETA also mentions this tidbit ... "The killing of these snakes is so cruel that in California, it would be illegal to buy the very goods you’re promoting, because their sale is banned."

Gucci even acknowledges that fact on its web pages for a couple of these handbags.

Bottom line ... PETA is asking Dakota to strongly reconsider her association with Gucci and to denounce its use of exotic animal skins, especially with vegan alternatives available.

We tried looking to see if Dakota has spoken out on animal rights issues, specifically, and it sounds like she considers it a righteous cause -- seeing how her famous grandmother, Tippi Hedren, was a huge advocate of animal protection ... and DJ has spoken fondly of her work.

James Cameron's pissing off animal welfare activists by promoting his ocean-themed epic, "Avatar: The Way of Water," with a dolphin show many see as, at least ironic, and definitely cruel.

The director sat alongside stars Zoe Saldaña, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver and others in Japan to promote the much-anticipated sequel -- he kicked off the press conference by saying, "Welcome to Pandora" ... and then the controversial show began.

The dolphins in a tank performed tricks with the help of trainers ... and as the conference continued, Cameron mentioned how much he loved a dolphin's intelligence and sociability ... before joking, "I'm sure everybody asked their permission to be in the show."

That joke did not land with animal activist groups like PETA -- because its spokesperson told Plant Based News, "Why on Earth didn't [Cameron] pause for just five minutes to consider whether he should have allowed himself to be seen as endorsing the cruelty of marine parks?"

Shockingly, Cameron's been an animal advocate for years ... he says he's been a vegan for a decade, and even produced a documentary alongside the director of the 2009 flick, "The Cove," the Oscar-winning animal rights film that exposed the cruelty of dolphin hunting in Japan, of all places.

Even "The Cove" director, Richard O'Barry, is calling out Cameron for his hypocrisy in using captive dolphins to promote a film whose central plot is about conserving ocean resources.

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."