recently accepted an invitation from PETA and attended an eight-hour course on animal cruelty at the group’s Virginia headquarters, according to the animal-rights group.

PETA assistant director Dan Shannon said when Vick completed the course, he was given material to take home and study. Shannon said Vick returned to the offices on a later day to take a test on the things he’d learned, which he passed. Though PETA officials are still pressing for jail time for Vick, Shannon did say everyone was impressed with the seriousness with which Vick approached his classes.

“He seemed nervous at first,” Shannon said, “but he seemed really interested.”

Vick’s attorneys were not immediately available to comment on PETA’s account of Vick’s attending the class. The NFL also did not immediately return a call for comment.

Vick, the disgraced Atlanta Falcons quarterback, faces up to five years in prison and awaits sentencing after pleading guilty in a federal dogfighting case. He is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 10. He recently was ordered confined to his Virginia home after testing positive for marijuana — a violation of the conditions of his release while awaiting sentencing. The urine sample was submitted Sept. 13, according to federal court records.

Vick also has been indicted on state charges of beating or killing or causing dogs to fight other dogs and engaging in or promoting dogfighting. Each felony is punishable by up to five years in prison. His arraignment on those charges is set for Oct. 3.

Vick’s representatives were first approached by PETA president Ingrid Newkirk. After an initial exploratory meeting involving Vick, Newkirk and Shannon, the quarterback agreed to attend a class, which he did on Sept. 18, PETA said.

According to PETA, Vick’s day was specifically planned for him, and it focused on animal protection and empathy. First, he was given an overview of animal protection, then a session that laid out the scientific evidence for animals’ ability to feel happiness, sadness and pain.

In the initial meeting, PETA said Vick had mentioned wanting to speak to school children, so he was shown the program they normally do at schools. He saw police training tapes that describe links between violence toward animals and violence toward humans. An entire session was based on Christian teachings about the treatment of animals.

“He seemed to get the most out of that,” Shannon said. “He was blown away by how much the Bible had to say about animals.”

Because of the impact PETA officials think the course had on Vick, Shannon sent a letter on Tuesday to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell asking him to make a similar course mandatory for all NFL players.

Death toll up to 17,400; overdue report describes PETA’s deadliest year ever

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — An official report from People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), submitted nine months after a Virginia government agency’s deadline, shows that the animal rights group put to death more than 97 percent of the dogs, cats, and other pets it took in for adoption in 2006. During that year, the well-known animal rights group managed to find adoptive homes for just 12 pets. The nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) is calling on PETA to either end its hypocritical angel-of-death program, or stop its senseless condemnation of Americans who believe it’s perfectly ethical to use animals for food, clothing, and critical medical research.

Not counting animals PETA held only temporarily in its spay-neuter program, the organization took in 3,061 “companion animals” in 2006, of which it killed 2,981. According to Virginia’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), the average euthanasia rate for humane societies in the state was just 34.7 percent in 2006. PETA killed 97.4 percent of the animals it took in. The organization filed its 2006 report this month, nine months after the VDACS deadline of March 31, 2007.

“Pet lovers should be outraged,” said CCF Director of Research David Martosko. “There are thousands of worthwhile animal shelters that deserve Americans’ support. PETA is not one of them.”

In courtroom testimony last year, a PETA manager acknowledged that her organization maintains a large walk-in freezer for storing dead animals, and that PETA contracts with a Virginia cremation service to dispose of the bodies. In that trial, two PETA employees were convicted of dumping dead animals in a rural North Carolina trash dumpster.

Today in Southampton County, Virginia, another PETA employee will face felony charges in a dog-napping case. Andrea Florence Benoit Harris was arrested in late 2006 for allegedly abducting a hunting dog and attempting to transport it to PETA’s Norfolk headquarters.

“PETA raised over $30 million last year,” Martosko added, “and it’s using that money to kill the only flesh-and-blood animals its employees actually see. The scale of PETA’s hypocrisy is simply staggering.”

To speak with a spokesman contact Tim Miller at 202-463-7112.

For more information about PETA’s massive euthanasia program, visit http://www.PetaKillsAnimals.com.

Visit ANIMAL PRESERVE

It looks like a quality preserve but it says in the tour it has the animals in cages. Makes you wonder how often they are caged up. Also the website is outdated but very informative.

Perched on the edge of the Mojave Desert, forty miles northeast of Los Angeles, California, Shambala is a surprising paradise and the only wild animal preserve of its kind in the United States. Since 1972, this unique eighty acre wildlife habitat has provided a haven for endangered exotic big cats. Currently, almost seventy animals live at Shambala, including African lions, Siberian and Bengal tigers, leopards, servals, mountain lions, bobcats, a lynx, and a Florida panther.

Most of these animals were born in captivity, with many of them being orphans or cast-offs from circuses, zoos and private owners who could no longer care for them. None of them has ever been in the wild. All depend upon humans for their needs. With expert veterinary care, carefully planned diets and constant attention by a dedicated staff of professionals, Shambala provides a dignified life for these precious wild animals.

ANAHEIM - A 19-year-old man wanted on six counts of animal cruelty and who had a $10,000 warrant out for his arrest – because of a video posted on MySpace that depicts animals being mistreated – turned himself in this morning, authorities said.

The video shows a man swinging a pug by its legs and repeatedly throwing a rabbit several feet in the air, only to let it crash to the ground.

Joseph Anthony Deiss, of Anaheim, walked into the North Justice Center in Fullerton and surrendered to authorities about 9 a.m., said Anaheim police Sgt. Rick Martinez.

Deiss is expected to appear before a judge, who will decide whether to take him into custody or to let him go on his own recognizance and appear in court at a later time.

The charges were filed after a 14-minute video, which authorities allege shows Deiss abusing a pug named Precious and two rabbits, was uncovered last month by representatives of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

The video was reported to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and three misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty and three misdemeanor counts of animal abuse by a caretaker, meaning the animals were pets, were filed last week, said Farrah Emami, a spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

If convicted, Deiss could face a maximum sentence of three years in jail.

“Law enforcement can’t be everywhere at once,” said Farrah Emami, a spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. “We appreciate when the community or community organizations work as the eyes and the ears for crimes like these and bring them to the attention of law enforcement.”

PETA officials sent a letter to Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas expressing outrage at the mistreatment of several rabbits and a dog, and urging prosecutors to seek jail time in the case against Deiss.

PETA is also asking prosecutors ask that Deiss, if convicted of animal cruelty, be banned for life, as allowed by California law, from owning or harboring animals and that authorities seize any animals he currently has.

“The viciousness shown in abusing these animals must not go unpunished,” said PETA cruelty caseworker Kristin DeJournett. “Orange County residents have reason to be concerned. According to leading mental health professionals and law enforcement agencies, perpetrators of violent acts against animals are often repeat offenders who pose a serious threat to all animals, including humans.”

The video, which officials allege was produced by Deiss, was recorded in the backyard of an acquaintance’s home in Yorba Linda and the pug, Precious, belonged to the homeowners, Emami said. The video, which has since been removed from MySpace, was sent by Deiss to at least one friend in July 2007. It shows Deiss naming two small rabbits Peter and Ginger and caressing them, saying “We’ll be good friends for ever and ever.”

Set to an ’80s soundtrack, the video reportedly shows Deiss hurling the rabbits across a back yard, swinging the pug Precious by the legs and then smashing the dog to the ground, and throwing a rabbit about 15 feet over his head and then letting the animal fall to the ground. The video also shows Deiss throwing Precious up in the air, causing the animal to flip over several times before landing, and throwing a ball at two dogs and a rabbit, hitting the rabbit as the animal tried to run for cover.

After several minutes showing the activity in the back yard, a red banner scrolling across the video reads: “It had been a long day and Joey and the bunnies were tired. So Joey found them a cage.” The video shows Deiss allegedly putting the rabbit called Ginger in a small cage, but then moving her to a smaller cage, telling her she would be more comfortable. He puts the rabbit in a larger cage and the camera zooms in on a large snake in the cage. The rabbit sits in the corner as the camera follows the snake as it makes its way to the rabbit and grabs it, squeezing the life out of the small animal.

A voice in the background can be heard saying, “Ginger. Oh, no. There’s a snake in there. Ginger. What a bummer. I didn’t even realize it.”

The video zooms in on the eyes of the rabbit in the clutches of the snake.

“And they all lived happily ever after,” begins the credits of the video. “No snakes were harmed in the making of the video. Producer Joey Deiss.” Editer (sic) Joey Deiss. Fillmed by Joey Deiss. Snakes owned by Joey Deiss. Special thanks to Joey Deiss.”

Also mentioned in the credits are special appearances by bunnies Peter and Ginger, Precious the Puppy and snakes Bonny and Clyde.

And according to the credits, the production was the work of the “Ideas by Joey Deiss.”

Pictures posted on Photobucket, an Internet photo sharing site, show a grinning Deiss holding a small brown rabbit upside down by the back feet. According to Deiss’ MySpace profile, “Jo ‘E’ is bummed that he still might go to prison.” Despite a warrant for his arrest, Deiss was online throughout Wednesday night. His MySpace profile shows a picture of Deiss holding a large snake.

Deiss attended Army and Navy Academy, a military preparatory boarding school for middle school through high school boys in Carlsbad. According to his profile on Facebook, Deiss lists among his favorite activities snake hunting, playing piano and keyboard at least four hours a day and “Fire is sometimes fun, if it’s HUGE and in moderation.”

Among one of the posts on his Facebook page is “I admit I am a pyro … now can I have my matches and lighter fluid back?”

“Mental health professionals and top law enforcement officials consider cruelty to animals to be a red flag,” DeJournett wrote in her letter to the District Attorney’s Office. “The American Psychiatric Association identifies cruelty to animals as one of the diagnostic criteria for conduct disorders, and the FBI uses reports of these crimes in analyzing the threat potential of suspected and known criminals.”

“Experts agree that it is the severity of the behavior - not the species of the victim - that matters.”

AN unborn elephant, perfectly formed in every way. A dolphin swimming in the womb, just as it will have to swim in the ocean the moment it is born. An unborn dog asleep as if by its master’s side.

Using new technology, these images, published in UK’s Daily Mail, reveal what until now has been a secret - exactly how animals develop in the womb. They were created by the same team who in 2004 showed how human embryos “walk in the womb”.

Using a combination of three-dimensional ultrasound scans, computer graphics and tiny cameras, the team were able to show the entire process from conception to birth.

“These kind of images from inside animals have never been seen before,” Jeremy Dear of Pioneer Productions, who made the film, told The Daily Mail.

“We worked with dozens of zoos and animal sanctuaries across the world. There were a lot of different challenges - recording a dolphin is very different from an elephant, for instance.

“Animals were trained to sit still near the scanners and we also inserted cameras into the womb via the elephant’s rectum-But it has been worth it. It one sequence we follow an elephant developing. When it is finally born, there is not a dry eye in the house.

“The images in the film are a testament to the ingenuity and patience of the production team led by Yavar Abbas and Dr David Barlow, who worked with some of the world’s leading vets to obtain these pictures.”

The images were created for the programme Animals In The Womb, a two-hour show to be broadcast on the National Geographic Channel.

Researchers used scans to track elephant calves developing for almost two years in the womb - the longest gestation period of all mammals.

It shows at 16 weeks the elephant foetus starting to look more like an elephant as the trunk develops.

At almost a year, the trunk is longer than the legs, and by 14 months, the characteristic elephant ears are visible. They will eventually grow to almost two feet across to help regulate the body temperature of the fullymature-elephant. At birth, he will weigh nearly 260lb and be able to take his first steps in minutes.

Animals closer to home were also studied. A golden retriever foetus is shown exhibiting some of the same behaviour as family pets, panting with its tongue out, while still in the womb.

Programme makers also reveal the moment at eight weeks when a baby dolphin learns to swim while in the womb. During the next few weeks, it develops flippers, a tail and a blowhole before being born after a year, and must be able to quickly swim to the surface to take its first breath of air.

Experts also found that at 24 days, the dolphin embryo develops tiny leg-like buds, which then disappear over the next two weeks.

After 11 weeks, the dolphin embryo’s fins display bone structures resembling human hands, which experts believe may show that dolphin ancestors were land dwellers.

The footage also shows how many animal embryos are like human ones.

“The incredible thing about the early images is how we all look very similar - it is obviously we humans share a common mammalian ancestry very early in life,” Mr Dear told The Daily Mail.