Thought maybe some of you would be interested in the response I got from
PETA when I asked them about PETCO stock:
 
Thank you for contacting PETA.  I appreciate the opportunity to address
your concerns.
 
PETA occasionally purchases a small amount of stock in companies in
order to gain access to shareholders' meetings and other such events;
it also allows us to make shareholder proposals such as our recent
proposal at McDonald's annual meeting calling on the company to require
controlled-atmosphere killing (CAK) of all its suppliers of chicken.
PETA's proposal was accepted by McDonald's, something that could never
have come about if we did not own some stock in the company.  To learn
more, please see http://www.kentuckyfriedcruelty.com/macvskfc.asp.
 
Similary, we were able to attend KFC parent corporation Yum!  Brands'
annual meeting, and call on the company to issue a report detailing how
it is meeting its stated goal "to only deal with suppliers who promise to
maintain our high standards and share our commitment to animal welfare."
All shareholders were given an opportunity to vote on the proposal.
PETA's proposal received an astonishing 7.6 percent of the shareholder
votes, more than proposals filed calling for a report on the use of
genetically modified foods and calling for smoke-free restaurants!
For more information, see
http://www.kentuckyfriedcruelty.com/shareholder-new.asp.
 
Please know that such stock holdings are investments only in animal
welfare; we would never jeopardize our ability to act by becoming
financially dependent on corporations which abuse animals.  At any
rate, our campaign against PETCO has caused them to lose business,
rather than profiting from the abuse and neglect of the animals they
sell.
 
I hope this information is helpful and that we can count on your
continued support in fighting animal abuse.  Thanks again for writing
and for everything you do for animals!
 
Sincerely,
Jeff Mackey
Correspondent
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
Help support our vital work for animals:
http://www.peta.org/jnew/index.asp
[Posted in FML issue 4828]