Help Fund a New Animal-Rescue Van!

Dear Friend,

Earlier this year, we faced a significant challenge to our ability to help companion animals. A van used by our Community Animal Project had begun to fail, potentially jeopardizing an integral part of that lifesaving program, which improves the lives of more than 10,000 animals each year.

Thanks to your generosity and that of dozens of other dedicated members, that van has been replaced with a new, more reliable one and is already at work helping animals in desperate need in some of the worst pockets of poverty in southeastern Virginia and northern North Carolina. I want to make sure that you had a chance to see the special sign that we've placed on this new vehicle to help acknowledge the critical role that each and every person who supported this important campaign played: http://bit.ly/T3y9v1

In recent weeks, PETA has responded to more than 1,000 calls and e-mails from around the country about animals who were often in desperate need of our help.

Here are just a few stories from our case files. They represent only a fraction of the number of dogs, turtles, cats, birds, and other animals who've benefited from Emergency Response Team's (ERT) hard work in recent weeks. While cases like these may not always make the evening news, each is a terrific example of the effort that the vital team puts into its work every single day.

The team jumped into action upon learning of a stray pig named Nora who was wandering without a home in Florida. Thanks to the intense efforts of our team and help from an animal-friendly deputy sheriff, Nora was soon trapped and taken to a sanctuary, where she will now live a playful and care-free life with other rescued animals.

We were contacted by a compassionate person in Florida who discovered this injured ibis, who had been shot in the face with a BB gun and was in urgent need of medical attention. Our team soon arranged for him to be transported to a nearby wildlife-rehabilitation facility, where he has made a full recovery, and area police are now following up on our call to investigate his shooting.

And finally, I have some great news to report in a case that our ERT caseworkers have been working on since last summer, when they received a tip that animals were languishing in filthy and desperate conditions at Cajun Country Ranch Rescue, an animal-hoarding operation in Oklahoma. Our team quickly began working with local law enforcement and respected animal groups in the area and helped bring about the seizure of 93 animals and both animal- and child-abuse charges against the couple who ran this hellhole for animals. We recently learned that the couple had pleaded guilty to cruelty-to-animals charges and received a five-year ban on owning animals as well as the possibility of life imprisonment because of the child-abuse charges if they are ever caught in violation again.

The single most important thing that you can do if you ever see an injured or abused animal is to take action immediately. Whether that means stopping to get medical attention for a wounded cat spotted during your daily commute to work, speaking to a reputable local wildlife rehabilitator after finding a bird or other wild animal in need, or calling local authorities if you suspect an animal is being abused, it's always critical to help as soon as you see an animal in need.

When animals needed us most, you were there to help. Thank you again for your generous support for PETA's critical work for animals in need.

Sincerely,

Daphna Nachminovitch
Senior Vice President of Cruelty Investigations