Oprah 2008 Person of the Year for PETA
Oprah Winfrey is an internationally recognized media mogul, the host of the popular Oprah Winfrey Show, and a philanthropist. Oprah uses her fame and listening audience to help the less fortunate, including animals. She has used her show to uncover horrific cases of cruelty to animals in puppy mills and on factory farms, and Oprah even used the show to highlight the cruelty-free vegan diet that she tried! Because of her continued work for animals, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) named Oprah Winfrey the 2008 Person of the Year.
Just before her Cocker Spaniel, Sophie, passed away on March 10, 2008, Oprah’s attention was drawn to a billboard off the Kennedy Expressway in Chicago that read, “Oprah: Do a show on puppy mills. The dogs need you.” She later followed the advice on the billboard and hosted an episode that showed millions of viewers the horrific abuses that occur in large-scale breeding facilities known as puppy mills, which supply pet stores with puppies. The episode featured undercover video footage from a tour of puppy mills in Pennsylvania, which showed 30 to 40 dogs in wire-bottomed rabbit cages that were stacked to the ceiling in a room that reeked of urine and feces.
Oprah continued to be an animal advocate by hosting an episode on the appalling conditions for millions of animals on factory farms. With the help of journalist Lisa Ling, Oprah showed viewers what life is like for chickens on these conventional factory farms. Birds are confined to tiny cages that are stacked floor to ceiling, and they’re crammed into sheds by the thousands, creating an unimaginable stench. They also exposed conditions on a pig farm, where sows spend most of their lives in a single stall and are repeatedly artificially inseminated until they can no longer reproduce and are sent to slaughter. The shocking episode also showed the abuse of veal calves, who endure 14 to 17 weeks of torment chained inside a 22-inch crate, where they never get to experience green grass or fresh air, just the urine-soaked crate that they are confined to on a filthy factory farm.
And Oprah’s compassion for animals didn’t stop there! She was encouraged by a guest on her show to ditch meaty meals and try a vegan diet for 21 days. During this time, Oprah enjoyed delicious and healthy meals that were prepared by chef Tal Ronnen of Veg Advantage. Oprah said of the experience, “Wow, wow, wow! I never imagined meatless meals could be so satisfying.”
Anyone wanting to join Oprah in being an advocate for animals can visit PETAAsiaPacific.com to request a free Vegetarian Starter Kit.
