12/9/2008

in

PETA is unhappy with Britney Spears's latest foray into the marriage of music and wildlife.

Susie Kopecky

PETA apparently thinks Britney Spears is acting like an animal in her treatment of wildlife. In a statement released by PETA, aka People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Spears was slammed for her use of animals in her music videos, both past and most recently, the new music video for her *Circus* album. One part of the PETA slam is a direct quote from PETA Director Debbie Leahy, who notes, "She may be headed for a comeback, but when it comes to animals, she still can't get her act together."  
  
The official PETA press release states, "Britney Spears has hit a sour note with PETA over the video for her new single, 'Circus,' which uses cruelly trained lions and elephants even after PETA wrote to her and explained in graphic detail how trainers shock, whip, and beat exotic animals into performing."  
  
As part of a campaign to get Spears to . . . do something, PETA is encouraging readers to "contact Spears and demand that she stop using exotic animals in her videos and concerts once and for all."  
  
It is unclear what PETA hopes to attain, except a possible promise from Spears to never, ever use animals again . . . period . . . maybe.  
  
However, the official trainers on set for the Spears video claim that the animals were treated humanely, and that the conditions were overseen by representatives from the American Humane Association. Kari Johnson, one of the trainers on the video set, told MTV, "My husband . . . and I do indeed have a long history with elephants. . . . To say we care about elephant welfare is an understatement." She also made a strike back at PETA's allegations, noting, "PETA very conveniently used a sentence out of context from a USDA request for public comments regarding policies on elephants in 2000."  
  
PETA is known for its shocking and sometimes awing campaigns. In recent times, PETA was in some trouble for handing out bottle openers on at least one college campus, encouraging students to drink beer, rather than milk.