As 2018 winds down, we’re taking a few moments to reflect on the year’s biggest accomplishments for animals, highlighting victories by PETA entities worldwide that are saving animals’ lives and stopping some of the worst abuse that they face.
This year, PETA secured a first-of-its-kind agreed-upon judgment in its lawsuit against a veterinarian who admitted to declawing lions, tigers, and hybrids illegally at an Indiana roadside zoo quite accurately named Wildlife in Need. As part of the precedent-setting judgment, the veterinarian is prohibited from declawing any endangered or threatened species of cats or provide them with any kind of veterinary care. PETA’s lawsuit against the owners and operators of Wildlife in Need for alleged violations of the Endangered Species Act is still in progress, but it’s already preventing suffering. In February, the court granted PETA’s request for a preliminary injunction, an extraordinary form of relief that’s issued when a court finds that irreparable injury will result without it. The order prevents Wildlife in Need from declawing big-cat cubs, prematurely separating them from their mothers without medical necessity, and using them in awful “Tiger Baby Playtime” events, in which frightened tiger cubs are forced to endure hours of being used as live props for selfies, pending the trial related to the lawsuit.
In March, PETA Asia released the results of a disturbing investigation showing that handlers repeatedly beat elephants for the King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament in Bangkok, Thailand. The video footage sparked a global outcry that prompted a dozen companies to pull their sponsorships after hearing from hundreds of thousands of PETA supporters. Just months later, the Thailand Elephant Polo Association announced that it isn’t seeking permission to hold the cruel event next year—and that it was ceasing operations, effectively ending elephant polo in Thailand. PETA has also persuaded dozens of travel agencies to stop promoting elephant rides and other elephant-exploiting activities. This includes World Spree Travel, which just stopped offering tours to any facility with captive elephants following two years of talks with PETA.
On the circus front, years of PETA protests and declining ticket sales forced the last of the Ringlings still working in circuses to sell the Kelly Miller Circus, and its new management made the show completely animal-free. The Royal Canadian Family Circus stopped using wild animals following two PETA lawsuits challenging the outfit’s shady export permits for animal acts provided by U.S.-based exhibitors, and Stardust Circus dropped elephant acts after pressure from PETA and activists led venues to prohibit the circus’s performances with animals. Unwilling to adapt to the demands of modern, compassionate audiences, Circus Pages shut down following years of PETA-supported protests.
SeaWorld is taking hits, too. Following a determined campaign led by PETA U.K., leading travel provider Thomas Cook announced that it would stop selling tickets to SeaWorld and all other parks that confine orcas in the name of entertainment. After hearing from PETA about SeaWorld’s history of animal abuse, AAA Arizona confirmed that it no longer sells tickets to the cruel parks, Canadian airline WestJet removed all references to the marine park from its website and promotional materials, and GiftRocket removed the park from its list of suggested gift card uses. 
PETA’s also persuading companies to stop propping up the annual Iditarod dog-sled race, a grueling 1,000-mile trek through the frozen Alaska wilderness that’s responsible for the deaths of over 150 dogs. After hearing from more than 186,000 PETA supporters and being the target of public protests for more than a year, Jack Daniel’s ended its 15-year sponsorship of the Iditarod, joining the likes of Guggenheim Partners, State Farm, and Wells Fargo in cutting ties with the cruel race. Victories like these forced race organizers to cut the 2018 prize amounts by a quarter of a million dollars. Eventually, sustained pressure from PETA will force them to stop abusing dogs for human amusement altogether.
Every PETA victory is a testament to what can happen when compassionate people stand up for what’s right. We’re making great strides for animals, but there’s more work to do. You can help ensure that 2019 is an even bigger year for animal welfare by making a year-end gift to PETA today. Together, we’re making the world a kinder place for animals.
Change Animals’ Lives in 2019!
