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PETA BLASTS TARKAN FOR WEARING FUR, CALLS ON SINGER TO 'KISS, KISS' IT GOODBYE

For Immediate Release:

8 January 2008

Istanbul -- This morning, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Asia-Pacific (PETA) fired off a letter to Turkish pop singer Tarkan assailing his callous disregard for animals by wearing fur. In the letter, PETA points out that Tarkan -- whose hit single "Kiss, Kiss" topped the charts in more than a dozen countries -- is not only supporting the torture of animals who are killed for fur but also doing his country a disservice by allowing one of its most prominent artists to be associated with cruelty to animals. PETA asks Tarkan if he should more appropriately be called "Tarzan" because of his penchant for wearing the skins of dead animals.

Why is PETA asking Tarkan to "Kiss, Kiss" fur goodbye? Animals trapped for fur in the wild suffer excruciating pain before being drowned or bludgeoned to death. Animals on fur farms live in tiny, filthy cages where they often go mad before they are gassed, poisoned, or electrocuted or have their necks broken. An undercover investigation in China -- now the world's leading exporter of fur -- revealed that millions of cats and dogs are hanged, strangled with wire nooses and bled to death for their fur, which is often intentionally mislabelled as fur from other species. Other animals were videotaped being skinned alive.

"Tarkan is shirking his responsibility as a role model and supporting one of the most hideous industries on the planet every time he wears fur", says PETA campaign coordinator Cem Akin. "Fur is a cruel product of a bygone era. With all of today's fashionable and warm alternatives, Tarkan has no excuse to wear fur."

PETA has posted an action alert on it popular website urging visitors to contact Tarkan and tell him to ditch fur.

For more information, please visit PETAAsiaPacific.com.

PETA's letter to Tarkan follows.

Dear Tarkan:

Or should we say "Tarzan," since the animal skins we've seen hanging on your back remind us of Tarzan of the Apes?

We've heard from your management that you dislike wearing fur, but the animals like your wearing it even less. Fur is the "kiss kiss" of death for millions of fur-bearing animals, including foxes, raccoons, minks, coyotes, bobcats, lynxes, opossums, nutria, beavers, muskrats, otters and others who are killed each year on fur farms by anal and vaginal electrocution and in the wild by drowning, trapping or beating. When you threw your credit card down to purchase your furs, you paid for dozens of animals to go through this torture.

Your office tells us that you no longer wear fur but can't say so publicly. The only way for your fans and the rest of the world to know that you understand the horrors of the enclosed video is to openly swear off fur. As a celebrity, your actions will influence others to follow suit, saving thousands of animals from miserable lives and harrowing deaths.

You have brought music from Turkey to worldwide prominence, but you do a disservice to your country's reputation when you dress like a caveperson.

Please let your actions follow your words and let us know that you will "kiss kiss" fur goodbye so we may share the good news with the more than 1.8 million members and supporters of PETA and its affiliates.

Sincerely,

Cem Akin

Campaign Coordinator

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia-Pacific

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