Animal Rescues in 2022 Break PETA Records

From bears to beagles and from cats to chimpanzees, 2022 was the biggest year yet in animal rescues for PETA entities around the world—and a new video shows some of the dramatic transformations of animals whose lives have changed for the better, including the playful pup Mabel (one of 4,000 beagles saved from a now-shuttered laboratory supplier) enjoying her first Christmas with a family and Sallie the bear enjoying baths at a spacious sanctuary following PETA’s largest-ever roadside zoo rescue, of 72 animals.

It isn’t every day that PETA Germany’s rescuers see military tanks roaming the streets, but that’s exactly what they encountered as they worked to get cats, dogs, and other animals out of harm’s way in Ukraine. Freedom from neglect came for Tonka, the chimpanzee who appeared alongside Alan Cumming in the film Buddy—he was imprisoned in a basement cage but now gets to enjoy feeling the sun on his back and the grass beneath his feet. Capping off 2022’s rescues, nine dogs who had previously languished in cages at Texas A&M University will be safe and warm in new homes by the end of the year.

PETA’s fieldworkers have saved hundreds of other animals, including Duke and Sandy, two of the Bertie 5 dogs who were kept chained up outside 24/7. They’re getting to spend the holidays indoors, warm and showered with treats, just like Ruthie and Rosie (seen at the start of the video), two of 39 dogs seized by authorities and placed for adoption after PETA’s investigation into a seedy breeding operation.

“This year meant new beginnings for thousands of animals and many legal wins for PETA, and all that was only possible because of the care, patience, and hard work put in,” says PETA Senior Vice President of Cruelty Investigations Daphna Nachminovitch. “Everyone should make a resolution to help animals in 2023, whether that means adopting instead of buying from breeders or pet stores, never going to roadside zoos, or calling PETA to report cruelty.”