Iraq War Vet Wins peta2's 'Cutest Vegetarian Alive' Contest

Vermont Man Beats Out More Than 1,500 Contenders Worldwide

After more than 13,000 votes were tallied, 22-year-old Jed Martin, a Hinesburg native who spent a year in Iraq with the U.S. Army, has been chosen from among 10 male finalists—and more than 1,500 nominees—as the winner of the second annual "Cutest Vegetarian Alive" contest. The contest was organized by peta2, the world's largest youth animal rights organization. Martin's photo and bio are available online at peta2.com.

Martin became a vegetarian after playing in bands in the punk and metal music scenes, where animal rights is a popular issue. Currently living in a military barracks in Germany, Martin is unfazed by being surrounded by meat-eaters. He keeps his fridge stocked with vegan Boca Burgers, which taste so much like the "real" thing that even his buddies who haven't kicked the meat habit can't tell the difference! When he's not in uniform, you can spot Martin wearing one of his peta2 T-shirts around the base in order to promote awareness of animal rights. He says that no matter where he's sent, companies like Vegan Essentials make it possible for him to enjoy his favorite foods while serving in the Army.

The "Cutest Vegetarian Alive" contest is a spin-off of peta2's wildly popular "Sexiest Vegetarian Alive" contest, in which visitors to the group's Web site vote for their favorite vegetarian celebrities. Last year's winners were actor Natalie Portman and Good Charlotte star Benji Madden. Also featured on peta2.com are celebrity interviews, message boards, merchandise, downloadable voice-mail recordings, and chances to win great prizes like free concert tickets, iPods, and more.

"More and more young people are choosing a meat-free lifestyle. Martin is living proof that on average, vegetarians are slimmer, trimmer, and generally healthier than meat-eaters, so they're bound to be a lot cuter too," says peta2 Street Team coordinator Pulin Modi. "And of course, nothing's more attractive than a compassionate heart."

For more information, please visit peta2.com or click here.

Members of Jet, The Vines Call for End to Seal Hunt

Aussie Bands Join peta2's Campaign Against Bloody Canadian Massacre

The worldwide campaign against Canada's annual slaughter of hundreds of thousands of baby harp seals for their skin has just gotten a big boost from the international rock scene. Members of the high-flying Australian bands Jet and The Vines have teamed up with peta2—the world's largest youth animal rights organization—by signing a petition at Australia's Big Day Out Festival calling for an end to the hunt, which is the largest slaughter of marine mammals on Earth. This year's hunt is over, but the petition—which will be sent to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper—calls on the Canadian government to put a permanent end to the bloody slaughter.

Jet—whose members Nic Cester, Mark Wilson, and Cameron Muncey signed the petition and whose debut album Get Born has sold 3.5 million copies—is touring the U.S. through the end of May. The Melbourne band's hit single "Falling Star" is on the new Spider-Man 3 soundtrack. Known for their distinct hybrid of '60s rock and '90s alternative, Sydney-based The Vines first hit pay dirt with the 2004 release Winning Days and are currently working on a new album. Members Craig Nicholls, Ryan Griffiths, and Brad Heald added their names to the petition.

The world has looked on in horror for years as the Canadian government has permitted the annual slaughter of as many as 335,000 baby harp seals. The terrified seals are beaten with clubs, shot, and impaled on hooks, and as many as 42 percent are skinned alive. This year, the hunt continued—despite the fact that thousands of baby harp seals who haven't yet learned how to swim are drowning because the ice floes on which they live are melting. The seal hunt is fueled by the fur industry—demand for any fur is responsible for this bloody massacre.

"The harp seal hunt is the largest massacre of marine mammals on Earth and is a bloody stain on Canada's reputation," says peta2 Youth Marketing Coordinator Lara Sanders. "It's time for Prime Minister Harper to put an end to this disgrace and make this year's slaughter the last."

Jet and The Vines join an ever-growing list of musicians—including Hawthorne Heights, Pink, The Darkness, and Good Charlotte—who have teamed up with peta2 in speaking out against cruelty to animals. Also featured on peta2.com are celebrity interviews, message boards, merchandise, downloadable voice-mail recordings, and chances to win great prizes like free concert tickets, iPods, and more.

For more information and to sign the petition, please visit peta2.com or click here.

Garbage Singer Trashes Fur in Dramatic peta2 Ad, First of its Kind

Shirley Manson Gives Exclusive Interview, Sponsors Big Giveaway at peta2.com

Stunning Shirley Manson is dressed to kill in her new ad for peta2. But the Garbage singer is holding a gruesome accessory—the dead body of a skinned fox—beside the caption “Here’s the Rest of Your Fur Coat.” The ad is a dramatic bid to show people that every fur coat, collar, and cuff is made from many animals who endured tremendous suffering. The campaign debuts in Manson’s hometown of Edinburgh this week, where hundreds of copies of the hard-hitting ad are being posted throughout the city. Manson is also sponsoring a “Fur Is Garbage” giveaway at peta2.com, where visitors can register to win posters of the ad, a signed copy of Garbage’s hit album Bleed Like Me, and a T-shirt autographed by Manson. Manson also talked about her career and her disdain for fur in an exclusive interview with peta2, the world’s largest youth animal rights organization.

Manson declares, “I believe very strongly in the ethical treatment of animals.” She credits her young fans with fostering her awareness of animal suffering. “A lot of my fans are very pro-animal rights, and have often, when I have been wearing fake fur … said, ‘Is that real?’ and really gotten upset, and I have had to reassure them, ‘No, it’s cool, it’s fake, don’t worry.’ They have made me very conscious of it, and I am really grateful that they have made me pay attention.”

Animals on fur farms are killed by poisoning, electrocution, or neck-breaking. Animals trapped in the wild for fur are often left to suffer for day in steel-jaw traps before they are bludgeoned or drowned. PETA has obtained undercover video footage of a fur farm in China—now the world’s leading fur exporter—in which animals are shown being smashed on the ground and skinned alive. Fur from China is sold in virtually every mall in the U.S.

Manson joins an ever-growing list of musicians—including Trent Reznor, Le Tigre, Fall Out Boy, Peaches, Morrissey, and Pink—who have teamed up with peta2 to inspire kids to challenge outdated, cruel attitudes about animals.

Manson’s dress was designed by Stella McCartney, and the ad was shot by top photographer Frank W. Ockenfels. To register for the giveaway and read more of Manson’s interview, please visit peta2.com or click here.

Mililani Teen Wins PETA Award For Tireless Efforts To Defend Animals

Fifteen-Year-Old 'Street Teamer' Leads peta2's Local Campaigns Against KFC Cruelty, Fur Industry

Mililani, Hawaii — Fifteen-year-old Mililani resident Alvin Park has won an "Outstanding Activist" Award from peta2—the world's largest youth animal rights organization—for his unrelenting fight to get KFC to stop its suppliers' worst abuses of chickens and for his protests of the cruel fur industry.

When he was just 3 years old, Park saw an elephant named Tyke rampage through the streets of Honolulu. Tyke had killed her trainer after being forced to perform in a circus. What happened next changed Park's attitude toward animals forever. "The police ended up shooting [Tyke] multiple times," he recalls. "After that, I realized that animals didn't belong in circuses."

Park—who went vegetarian at age 13 after watching PETA's shocking video "Meet Your Meat"—has been spearheading local action as part of peta2's international "Kentucky Fried Cruelty" campaign and organizing regular protests at KFC restaurants. KFC suppliers breed and drug chickens to grow so fast that many become crippled under the weight of their massive upper bodies. Many have their throats slit and are scalded to death in defeathering tanks while they are still conscious. Park has also protested the Canadian seal hunt and the Jungle Fun store in Honolulu's Ala Moana Mall, which sells toys that are made of rabbit fur.

"I left anti-fur stickers and leaflets around the [toys] and voiced my opinion about it rather loudly, despite angry glares from employees," says Park, a sophomore at Mililani High School. "This store doesn't seem to care that it's profiting off the bloody deaths of millions of animals."
Park will receive a certificate for his efforts, and he is featured on peta2.com as an inspiration to peta2's more than 220,000 "Street Team" members. Also featured on peta2.com are celebrity interviews, message boards, merchandise, downloadable voice-mail recordings, and chances to win great prizes like free concert tickets, iPods, and more.

For more information, please visit peta2.com, or click here to learn more about Alvin.