PETA: Urge eBay to Stop Marketing Cruelty to Animals

For the past three years, PETA has attempted to have a dialogue with
eBay, Inc., officials about the company's permissive policies regarding
the auctioning of live animals, animal parts, and various other
animal-related items. Sadly, eBay Web sites haven't stopped
facilitating the suffering, torture, and death of animals and related
crimes.

"Items" recently for sale on eBay include the following:

• Akita puppies and a Yorkie puppy on sites for viewers in the
United States, where 3 to 4 million animals-a conservatively estimated
25 percent of whom are purebred-are killed for lack of good homes

• Cats and dogs on sites for viewers in China, where these animals are typically beaten, strangled, or boiled alive for food or skinned alive for their pelts

• The remains of various animals, including lynx feet and a raccoon penis

• "Game
eggs," described by their seller as hard-hitting and good in the pit,
clearly referring to birds used for cockfighting, even though the
interstate transport of roosters is a federal crime

• A video
depicting a dogfight, the interstate transport of which is also a
federal crime and for which a Virginia man currently faces 15 years in
prison

We've repeatedly shared details of the cruelty to animals rampant in
the industries and practices behind the "items" above with eBay
executives. Nothing has moved them to wash their hands of such
suffering. We hope your words will.

Please remind eBay President Margaret Whitman that allowing animals
to be tossed onto a virtual auction block shows a callous disregard for
their well-being and turns the conscientious consumer away. Kindly
urge her to do the right thing, follow in the footsteps of competitors
such as Amazon, and finally end eBay's sale of all live animals, animal
byproducts, and depictions of animal fighting.

Impolite correspondence will compromise our request:

Margaret Whitman, President and CEO
eBay, Inc.
2145 Hamilton Ave.
San Jose, California 95125
Fax: 408-376-7401

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