In 2010 People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) took in 33 million dollars in donations, and another 2 million in revenue and merchandise sales. PETA is supported by thousands of animal lovers that think by donation and supporting this organization they are helping animals, but they are in fact doing the opposite. So where did those millions of dollars worth of donations go ?

According to PETA’s reports they went into a campaign comparing pregnant woman to female pigs to protest farmed meat, the disruption of the Westminster dog show, and a number of other vulgar forms of protest. They have also run campaigns such as The Holocaust on your plate comparing meat animals to the slaughter of Jews in WWII, handing out gruesome comic books titled Your Mommy Kills Animals to young children leaving from the play The Nutcracker across the country. They have also bought a plot next to Colonel Sanders placing a tombstone that reads “KFC tortures birds” and have set campaigns to slander Ben and Jerry’s ice cream chain , prompting the company to replace the cow milk flavor with human milk. Not to leave out the fact that they used the aid of four-star celebrities to advertise animal wrongdoings. The most recent campaign has brought many of PETA’s false statements to light, such as a anti-fur/wool campaign. Jona Weinhofen holds a flayed lamb, with the words “Here’s the rest of your coat”, when in fact, sheep must be sheared or they become matted and can suffer from heat strokes and or other health issues.

While these displays seem inappropriate they are the least offensive of the organization. While PETA is legally considered an animal shelter they have no open adoption center and their headquarters are not available to the public. Its impound facility according to a state inspector could not house animals properly for more than 24 hours. The reason for this? PETA does not believe that animals have the right to live, but in fact only have the right to a humane death. In other words, since an animal can be in pain or unhappy at any point in their life, that it is better to die, than to live at all. In the last 12 years PETA has killed 31,250 companion animals on record, claiming that these pets are unadoptable. Former employees have stated this and described the puppies and kittens that they euthanized as “Perfect”, “Healthy” and “Adorable”. PETA refuses to provide its criteria for making the determination as to whether or not an animal is “unadoptable.”

On top of this PETA has been caught numerous times stealing people’s beloved pets and euthanizing them simply because they can, they have also even been known to send gift baskets to the victims. October 18, 2014, in Parksley, VA, two PETA employees were caught on tape trying to lure a small mix breed puppy named Maya-that was happy and healthy-off the family’s property with treats so she would legally be classified as a stray, when the puppy would not leave the safety of the porch, one of the employees snatched her from the porch and drove away. PETA denied having Maya and when told that they had the tape proving it, PETA hung up. The “shelters”attorney later called back telling the family they had euthanized the dog.  While not caught on camera  other animals were killed including two four month old kittens, a six month old puppy, a one-year-old lab-mix, and another Chihuahua from the same neighborhood that day. After being taken to court the two employees were charged with larceny, and PETA was fined $500, nothing more than a slap on the writs for the multimillion dollar organization.

PETA has lied to shelters and pet owners that they have attained animals from claiming that they will find the animals homes, but out of the thousands of animals they take and seek out a meer 1% are adopted out, and roughly 95% of the animals are killed, no matter how young, healthy, and adoptable, the other 4% with unknown fates. PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk kilsl healthy and treatable animals: when asked whether or not PETA kills “adoptable” animals, she didn’t hesitate, stating, “Absolutely.”

She qualifies this by saying it is only done “when we can’t find them a home” but later she admits to another reporter that they don’t even try to find homes, telling the Virginian-Pilot,

“We are not in the home finding business, although it is certainly true that we do find homes from time to time…Our service is to provide a peaceful and painless death to animals no one wants.”

Which brings to question why is PETA considered a shelter when they don’t adopt animals, and the fact that they are a shelter makes it legal for them to convince kill? Before you donate to PETA or any organization do your research, make sure their mission is worth your money.