-Fight for Their Rights-Animals deserve rights, regardless of how they taste or how convenient it is to experiment on them. Like humans, animals are capable of suffering and have an interest in leading their own lives. They are not ours to use for food, clothing, experimentation, or entertainment.As an activist, you can educate people in your community and positively affect their attitudes and lifestyles. Regardless of your level of experience with activism, PETA's International Grassroots Campaign Department can help you make a difference for animals. You just need the desire to generate positive change and to believe that your voice and actions matter. We're here to help you at every step of the way!Some activists focus on one issue, while others speak out on several different topics. The choice is yours. The important thing is that you do something, not assume that someone else will take care of it. Step in and speak up!-Animals Used for Clothing-Wool It may come from a sheep, goat, or Tibetan antelope. It may be called "wool," "mohair," "pashmina," or "cashmere." But no matter what you call it, it means bad news for the animal it came from.In the wool industry, just weeks after birth, lambs' ears are punched, their tails are chopped off, and the males are castrated, all without anesthetics. To prevent "flystrike" (a maggot infestation caused by wrinkly skin, which was bred into the sheep so that they would have more wool), Australian ranchers perform a barbarous operation called "mulesing," which involves carving huge strips of flesh off the backs of unanesthetized lambs' legs. To learn more about wool, please visit SaveTheSheep.com. Leather Leather is not a slaughterhouse byproduct. It's a booming industry, a driving force for the cattle industry, and it accounts for two-thirds of the value of the slaughtered cattle. Even the hides of "veal" calves are made into high-priced calfskin. The economic success of slaughterhouses and factory farms is directly linked to the sale of leather goods. Decreasing demand for both animal foods and leather products will result in fewer cows' being factory-farmed. To learn more about leather, please visit CowsAreCool.com. Fur Those who wear fur trim and fur coats have the blood of minks, raccoons, foxes, beavers, and other animals on their hands. Animals on fur farms spend their lives in tiny cages only to be killed by anal or genital electrocution, which causes them to have a heart attack. Some are skinned alive. Animals in the wild may languish for days in traps before they die or are killed. To find out more about fur, please visit FurIsDead.com.-Animal Testing-Have you ever wondered how many animals suffer in labs? It's a good question. Because there are so many animals in laboratories and records are not kept for all animals, estimates of the number of animals tortured and killed annually in U.S. laboratories vary widely but are in the millions.The Animal Welfare Act requires laboratories to report the number of animals used in experiments, but it does not cover mice, rats, and birds (used in some 80 to 95 percent of all experiments). Because these animals are not covered by the act, they remain uncounted, and we can only guess at how many actually suffer and die each year.Many household products and cosmetics companies still pump their products into animals' stomachs, rub them onto their skin, squirt them into their eyes, or force animals to inhale them as aerosol sprays. Charities such as the March of Dimes use donations from private citizens to fund experiments on animals, and the FDA requires all drugs to be tested on animals. However, animals differ from humans significantly, making animal drug tests unreliable and dangerous. New research methods, such as computer models, cell cultures, and human studies are more accurate, less expensive, and much more humane.Companies that do not test on animals proudly state it on their labels. Send back items that you have from companies that test on animals, and write a letter to the companies explaining why you won't buy their products anymore. For more information on animal testing and a list of companies that do not test on animals, see PETA's Shopping Guide for Caring Consumers and be sure to share it with your friends! Learn more.-Animals Used for Entertainment- Animals don't want to ride bicycles, stand on their heads, balance on balls, or jump through rings of fire. Sadly, they have no choice. Trainers use abusive tools, like whips and electric prods, and force them to perform.Not only are elephants, bears, tigers, and other animals abused by trainers, they suffer from extreme loneliness, boredom, and frustration from being locked in tiny cages or chains month after month, city after city. Instead of being treated like furniture that is loaded and unloaded into trucks and storage areas, these animals should be in their natural habitat, exploring, seeking mates, and raising families.Animals held captive in circuses, rodeos, zoos, and other entertainment venues need you to speak out for them. Teach your community why, for animals' sake, they should go for a hike or take in a baseball game instead of supporting these unkind businesses.-Education-A large part of activism is educating others. Most people have no idea how their daily habits affect animals or how easy it is to change. People typically want to be kind but need someone to show them how!In order to educate others, educate yourself! Peter Singer's Animal Liberation is a thorough and easy-to-understand primer on animal rights. You can order it from PETA or you can try a local bookstore or library.We also recommend the following books, all available from PETA: 50 Awesome Ways Kids Can Help Animals by PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk—full of fascinating facts and more than 100 fun and easy projects and ideas that show children how they can get active for animals Diet for a New America by John Robbins—a moving and well-documented book that describes the inhumane and unhealthy conditions under which animals are raised for food and shows how our health and ecological well-being are linked to the adoption of a vegan diet Once you are familiar with the issues, share the knowledge! Create fliers, write letters, hold demonstrations, organize an information table at a concert or outdoors event, and encourage others to join you in your efforts to speak out for those who have no voice. Check out PETA.org regularly for updates, factsheets, and answers to "Frequently Asked Questions." Together, we will make this world a better place for all beings...