Help Save #99

He didn’t even have a name. Instead, he was identified by the last two digits of the I.D. number tattooed across his chest. #99 was one of hundreds of monkeys who were abducted from their homes in the wild, only to be used to test a mysterious experimental substance in a laboratory in Vienna, Virginia.

#99 was the smallest and sickliest monkey in the experiment: too pale, too thin, nearly bald, and his skin yellow and flaking off at the slightest touch. After the experiments he was put through, his tail was swollen, red, and oozing pus, and he had trouble breathing because of huge scabs in his nostrils. Every day, technicians would force a tube up #99’s nose, down his throat, and into his stomach, where an experimental substance was then pumped. This procedure caused open wounds in #99’s throat, making him choke, gag, and vomit.

#99 constantly would try to hide from his tormentors in the back of his barren cage. One of the workers involved with the experiments said that he looked like a chemo patient; another observed that he looked “pretty shitty.” Others simply laughed at him. He was denied any treatment or painkillers for his injuries, and he suffered constant beatings, abuse, and ridicule—in addition to the horrifying experiments. The technicians called themselves “catchers” because #99 would scream and resist while trying to hold onto his cage, terrified of being violently dragged to the experiment table. After the experiment, the catchers would use a high-powered hose to rinse his cage—covered in blood, feces, and vomit—with #99 still inside. He ended each day cold, shivering, and alone.

Yes, this all really happened. Though #99 was killed in that lab, there is still hope for others like him. Companies that experiment on animals think they can get away with this kind of cruelty, but you can help change that! Thousands of people, including members of Alkaline Trio, Against Me!, and Silverstein, have signed a petition calling on the government to save primates from being experimented on. No one should suffer like #99 did. We won’t stop until all primates are safe—here’s what you can do:

If you haven’t done so yet, sign up for the peta2 Street Team now. We’ll send you updates on our campaigns, and you’ll earn free stuff for the things you do to help.

FALL OUT BOY FIGHT KFC

What do you get when you mix Morrissey, KFC, and Fall Out Boy? A happy chicken, of course. Make sense? To explain: Andy Hurley and Joe Trohman met up with peta2 at the Moz show in London and signed our KFC petition—thereby making chicks all over the world smile.

The boys of FOB were more than happy to stick it to the Colonel and help put an end to the torture of millions of chickens. Now they want you to do your part. All you have to do is put your John Hancock (that’s your signature, for all those who flunked history) above Joe’s and Andy’s on our KFC petition, and you are on your way.

All fields in bold are mandatory.

PETA Representative Leads Rescue in the War Zone

Images of kittens sniffing amid the rubble. Dogs seen running frantically down the streets. These scenes—reminiscent of cruel and illegal decisions made by American officials in the wake of Hurricane Katrina—are reality once more in Lebanon.

Animals don’t belong to religions or have nationalities, and they own no bombs or tanks, yet they suffer in our wars. PETA representatives Jason Baker—a veteran of animal rescue efforts in New York City following September 11 and in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina—and Michele Rokke are in the Middle East leading the only foreign-based animal rescue team helping terrified animals who are trapped in the war zone.

The Team’s Latest Dispatch From Lebanon

Check back daily for the latest news and photographs from ground zero. Our team’s latest report follows.

August 3, 2006: ‘Amid the Horror, There Is Some Joy’
PETA’s Michele Rokke reported this morning:

“The hotel shook with bomb strikes during the night, and then we were off to find whomever we could. Amid the horror, there is some joy: Today, we saw a lot of big dogs in the mountains as we drove to Saida. They had evacuated themselves and were playing by the side of the road. They have found food and seemed happy, away from the bombing. If there are any animals left after the war, the real work will come then.”

August 2, 2006: PETA Has Entered Bombed War Zone in Southern Lebanon

July 31, 2006: PETA Team Heads Into Beirut

PETA and PETA UK Call On Officials to Facilitate Evacuation of Animals

PETA has sent an urgent letter to Brig. Gen. Carl Jensen—the military commander in charge of U.S. evacuation operations in Lebanon—begging him to instruct his officers to help evacuees take their animals with them to safety and bringing international attention to the government’s failure to serve all Americans trapped in Lebanon. We made the same request to Canadian Minister of National Defence Gordon O'Connor.

PETA also dashed off a letter to Siyabonga Ponco, chargé d’affaires of the South African Embassy in Cairo, urging him to permit South African nationals who are being evacuated to take their companion animals with them rather than forcing them to abandon their animals in the rubble to starve. The plea stemmed from an e-mail message that Ponco sent to PETA in which he suggested that evacuees with animals should “not demand more than they could be given”—implying that a request to help South African citizens take their beloved cats, dogs, and birds with them would be asking too much.

PETA UK wrote to Prime Minister Tony Blair and begged him to instruct Britain's Ministry of Defence to help evacuees to take their animals with them to safety.

Donate to PETA and help support our work for animals, including our disaster response teams, our transport and care of rescued animals, our efforts to send disaster preparedness information to media outlets before storms hit, and our assistance of stricken communities in times of need.

Israeli and Lebanese Animal Protection Groups Work for Animal Victims

One of PETA's early volunteers, Nina Natelson—the founder of Concern for Helping Animals in Israel (CHAI)—has rescue teams on the ground on the Israeli side of the current conflict. Pictured above is a dog whom one of CHAI's teams rescued after the animal had been hit by bomb shrapnel.

Animals know no nationality or religion and they own no bombs or tanks, yet they suffer in our wars. PETA has sent funds to support CHAI and Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and we commend the work of all citizens who help any being in need.

How You Can Help Today

Make your animals’ safety a priority: Be prepared! Take a few minutes while conditions are secure to plan ahead and make arrangements for your animal companions’ safety in case of emergencies.

Please immediately urge President George W. Bush not to break the law by encouraging abandonment of companion animals. Ask him to ensure the safety of all Americans in Lebanon by ordering that citizens be allowed to evacuate with their animal companions:

The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
Washington, DC 20500
202-456-2461 (fax)
comments@whitehouse.gov