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| [PHOTO: ©PETA/Robert Sebree] |
Houston: Wearing "PETA"-emblazoned boxing gloves and
standing protectively next to a canine friend, Olympic boxer and Houston native
Marlen Esparza appears in a brand-new PETA ad that reads, "Animals Need
You in Their Corner. If You Suspect or Witness Animal Abuse, Call the
Authorities Immediately."
The ad, which is part of PETA's "Never Be
Silent" campaign, was shot by top celebrity photographer Robert Sebree .
Esparza, who medaled in the 2012 London Games and was the
first female American boxer ever to qualify for the Olympics, also sat down for
an on-set interview in which she stressed the importance of immediately
reporting animal abuse whenever it is suspected or witnessed.
"It's
totally unfair what we do to animals who have no voice, who can't say anything,
who can't do anything about it. And since they can't help themselves, someone
needs to," she says. "Call the police …. Just make sure that you
don't forget about the animal, because you wouldn't want anyone to forget about
you if you couldn't talk."
PETA's "Never Be Silent" campaign urges the public
to speak up and alert authorities if they see or suspect animal abuse in their
communities and never to assume that someone else will take action. An animal's
life may depend on it. Thanks to compassionate, concerned citizens who reported
horrendous cruelty witnessed on the Internet, PETA was able to alert Houston
authorities to two abusers who were torturing and killing puppies, kittens, and
rabbits in "crush" fetish videos. These abusers were recently
indicted by a federal grand jury on felony cruelty-to-animals charges, and both
of them face up to 45 years in prison.
Esparza is part of a long list of athletes—including Maureen
Shea, "Sugar" Shane Mosley, Candace Parker, Tito Ortiz, K.J. Noons,
Amanda Beard, Mac Danzig, Hannah Teter, and Jake Shields—who have teamed up
with PETA to fight animal abuse.