Whatever the case, if you need a little pick-me-up today, have we got some news for you!

peta2 fave Chester Bennington (ya know, the frontman of a little band called Linkin Park) teamed up with rockers Stone Temple Pilots at a festival show in SoCal this weekend, and they already released a new track! There’s even talk of a tour!

At peta2, we love our music loud, awesome, and filled with compassion, so you know that we’re rockin’ out to the new track, “Out of Time,” today! While we don’t have the song for you to play here (we wanted to tell you about this ASAP!), it’s easy to find online. So give it a listen, buy the track, and support all your fave peta2 bands.

But first! Head over to Chester’s page, and watch his video interview with peta2. Because he’s so articulate and an obvious animal lover, you can easily see why we ♥ the singer for more than his badass songs!

Want to know who else is helping animals? Check out peta2′s Heroes page!

Everything about their little feathers and tiny chirps makes our  ♥s melt. This time of year, there are tons of baby birds out and about, so before you spot one of these cuties on the ground and swoop in to help, check out the deets below to figure out whether or not your help is actually needed:

Fledglings: The Basics

• Fledglings are juvenile birds who have “fledged” from their nests and are learning to fly.
• If healthy, they can stand upright and will tuck their wings tightly to their bodies.
• They have a mix of fuzzy down and adult feathers, with typically very short tail feathers.
• They are typically found on the ground near bushes or trees and will hop around, appear generally awkward, and remain very still if approached.
• They can find their own food but will get assistance from parents in a pinch.

IMPORTANT: Fledgling birds are often “rescued” when they don’t need to be. But sometimes birds found on the ground DO need our help!

If you find a fledgling, go through this checklist:

• Are there bloody wounds, wet feathers, legs that aren’t bearing weight, drooping wings, or matted or highly ruffled feathers?
• Is the bird lying on his or her side or back or scooting along the ground on his or her belly?
• Is the bird’s body or head tilting to one side? Is there blood around the nostrils?
• Is the bird cold to the touch and/or noticeably shivering?
• Is the bird in the wide open, nowhere near trees or bushes?
• Are there other animals, such as dogs or cats, stalking the bird?

If the answer to all these questions is “No,” the fledgling should be left alone.

If the answer to any of the above questions is “Yes,” or if the grounded bird is a nestling (a baby bird who is too young to leave the nest), YOUR help is needed!

 What should you do?

1. Stay with the bird and take a photo if you can.
2. Call your local animal control agency or wildlife rehabilitation center, and transport the animal for care immediately.
3. Not sure how to reach either of the above? Contact PETA right away at 757-622-7382 and follow the instructions to report an animal emergency. We can help!

Find out other ways YOU can help an animal in danger:

Here at peta2, we revamped our “Glass Walls” video, gave you some fun new Street Team missions, posted workout advice for vegans, and, of course, hooked you up with some great contests, including today’s 2fer prize!

Comment to win BOTH a peta2 button pack and a limited-edition peta2 10th-anniversary tote bag.

You know we hook you up with chances to win every week, but did you know that you can get free swag all the time? If you don’t win this prize pack, you can still score the button pack and tote FOR FREE by signing up for the Street Team and earning points.

Points? Yeah, just help animals by signing a petition, snapping photos, or completing another fun Street Team mission, and you’ll rack up points for free stuff.

Don’t forget to click the “Get Points” button, though! If you don’t tell us that you did the mission, we can’t give you points for free stuff.  

Easy as pie, right? Go sign up now!

But first leave a comment telling us what you did this week to help animals, and you’ll be in the running for this week’s contest.

Good luck!

*The winner will be chosen at random from submitted animal-friendly comments in which the commenters tell us what they did to help animals this week. This contest is open to U.S. residents only. Entries must be received by May 24, 2013. The winner will be notified on May 28, 2013. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law.

Heads up! By commenting here, you're acknowledging that you've read and you agree to our contest terms and conditions and our privacy policy, and you're also agreeing to our collection, storage, use, and disclosure of your personal info in accordance with those policies as well as to receiving e-mails from us.

Before you get to know teenage Annie, you need to know child Annie. Like most people, I grew up saying that I loved animals, but I ate them anyway (makes no sense, I know!). Annie was sad. She didn’t want to eat cute animals, but she didn’t know any better! (Don’t you love listening to me talk in the third person—totally not annoying, right?)

Anyway, years went by, and I started high school. I was super-nervous because I didn’t know anybody at that school, but I quickly met the most amazing people ever (my besties!). It was all well and good except when it came time for me to study—I felt tired and sluggish all the time, and my stomach was always hurting (damn you, dairy!). Fun story: I puked on the bus the very first day of high school. How was I not the target of major bullying? The world will never know!

Oh, and knowing that I was eating animals I “loved” was still not cool.

But everything changed when I met my super-amazing teacher Ms. Lucia. She would talk about how she was vegetarian and how great she felt because she wasn’t supporting an industry that slaughters billions of animals every year. “Wait … I can say NO to eating animals?” I didn’t even know that was an option! I went home and that same day saw the peta2 video “Chew On This,” and it changed my life FOREVER.

I went vegan right away and felt super-happy that I was helping animals—plus, I felt way better, and my grades even improved! But I wanted to do more, so I joined the peta2 Street Team (BEST DECISION EVER)!  The Street Team staff gave me super-amazing ideas on what I could do to help animals and sent me a ton of FREE stickers and leaflets! I started gathering petitions, decorating my school supplies with peta2 lit, organizing tablings, cooking yummy vegan food for my friends, and doing other super-fun peta2 missions to spread the word!

And no, Dr. Drew, I wasn’t pregnant—I was acting for a video project for computer class, but you know I had to rock my peta2 stickers at all times! Can you spot the peta2 poster in the back?

My friends also joined in on the fun and started helping me out with outreach, and many of them even went vegan!

Yep, high school was awesome! I made a decision that improved my health, the environment, and the lives of hundreds of animals. Years later, I’m now part of the Street Team staff, which means that I get to help YOU do amazing things for animals! See? Dreams really do come true!

Can you see me?

Want to make your high school (or college!) years life-changing for animals? Join the peta2 Street Team for FREE right now! We’ll send you ideas on what you can do to speak up for animals, and you can even get peta2 merchandise for FREE. :D

How old were you when you started helping animals?

Take a look at some of the fun we had along the way!

Real Friends doing what they do best!

peta2 ladies getting ready to save some animals!

Vivian charming the concertgoers

A brave soul enters the peta2 cage to see where meat really comes from!

Rick the rescued tour dog gets some fresh air.

Eric from Real Friends and Vivian in New Jersey

Senses Fail plays to a packed house in NYC!

Hugs and high-fives to our buddies in Senses Fail, Such Gold, Real Friends, and Major League! If you think you have what it takes to tour with peta2, apply today!

Elephants suffering for Ringling have a voice—yours!
And there’s more that you can do to help animals:

Not on the peta2 Street Team yet? It’s totally free to sign up (and help us win victories for animals like this one!). You can exchange points you earn for helping animals for free T-shirts, buttons, bags, and more. What are you waiting for?

Get to know musician and Hello Apparel creator Sam Means and enter to win this painfully adorable “Kitten” v-neck!

1. What inspired the creation of Hello Merch and Hello Apparel? 

My band split up about five years ago, and I suddenly found myself with tons of free time and nothing to do with it. I didn’t want to start another full-time music project then, so it just made the most sense. I was always heavily involved in the music business side of things anyway. The band actually had a little merch store set up for a couple years prior, after getting burned on a couple deals, so it was a natural and easy transition for me.

The apparel stuff, not so much. I launched a small line in 2008, but the timing was bad, or it was just terrible … Either way, it took a back seat until late last year. My wife stepped in to add a kid’s line to go with it, and we’ve been going strong for about six months now. We’re definitely having a lot of fun with it this time around, and working together is awesome.

Did you just fall asleep?

2. Is it challenging to be part business owner and part creative graphic designer? Do those responsibilities ever seem at odds with one another? 

It’s all the same for me, honestly. Both require the same amount of creativity. It’s hard to juggle everything, but I’ve somehow managed to keep a pretty good system of keeping it organized.

3. When was the first moment you realized you didn’t want to continue eating animals?

It was in NYC on tour sometime in 2003, and my friend more or less dared me to give it a shot. I figured it would last a couple weeks, but it’s been 10 years now, and I have absolutely no desire to go back.

4. After going vegetarian did you discover any foods you hadn’t thought to try before? Any necessities you would recommend we purchase immediately? 

Yes, everything! I wouldn’t go near tofu or seitan before, or even a lot of vegetables, but it’s all so good now. Being vegetarian forces you to sometimes be creative with your meals. I think Quorn makes my favorite “chicken” patty for sandwiches. Actually, everything they make is pretty great. My sister and I had their Turk’y Roast last Thanksgiving and loved it!

5. What’s your go-to vegan dish that you bust out to impress friends? 

There’s a vegan place down the street from my house that makes a fake Big Mac, called the Big Wac. I’ve been telling everyone about it. It’s seriously so good. If anyone is in Arizona, I highly suggest Green New American Vegetarian!

6. What’s your favorite “dumb question“ that you get asked about being vegetarian?

Man, there are so many, it’s crazy. I’m definitely not judgmental about other people’s diets, so I wouldn’t expect anyone to be about mine. But sometimes people really get in your face about it. There’s this mind-boggling defensiveness that kicks in with people occasionally. I think they assume I’m looking down on them or something, so they feel the need to belittle my personal decision for some weird reason. It’s hard to explain, but I’m sure a lot of people feel me on this one. I’m not bitter about it at all.

*****

Want to win this tee?*

Good luck!

*The winner will be chosen at random from submitted animal-friendly comments in which the commenters tell us about the moment they realized they wanted to stop eating animals. This contest is open to U.S. residents only. Entries must be received by May 21, 2013. The winner will be notified on May 24, 2013. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law.

Heads up! By commenting here, you're acknowledging that you've read and you agree to our contest terms and conditions and our privacy policy, and you're also agreeing to our collection, storage, use, and disclosure of your personal info in accordance with those policies as well as to receiving e-mails from us.

One of our all-time favorite rock gods, Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, is never afraid to be outspoken, and now he’s speaking up for young cows mutilated by the dairy industry.

On PETA’s behalf, Billy has sent a letter urging super-popular restaurant chain California Pizza Kitchen to join the other companies that are helping cows on dairy farms by requiring that their cheese suppliers begin phasing out “dehorning” and disbudding. Farmers can eliminate this practice by breeding for naturally hornless, or “polled,” cattle, as Corgan explains in his letter.

I have viewed the photos and watched PETA’s investigative video of these procedures, and I was appalled to see young calves who struggled and writhed in pain as searing hot irons burned their heads.

So, what exactly is dehorning? Farmers burn the sensitive budding horn tissue right off the animal’s head or mercilessly gouge the newly developing horns out, without any painkillers.

It’s obvious that this is a cruel and painful procedure, and it needs to end!

Billy Corgan joins peta2′s growing list of celeb supporters—including Ryan Gosling and Casey Affleck—who have already spoken out about this cruel practice.

Please join Billy in writing to California Pizza Kitchen and urging the company to require that its cheese suppliers stop dehorning.

1. DOG VS SNOW

WINNER: DOG

2. DOG VS GRASS

WINNER: GRASS

3. DOG VS GRASS 2: THE RETURN OF GRASS

WINNER: STILL GRASS

4. DOG VS LAKE

WINNER: LAKE

5. DOG VS SANDBOX

WINNER: DOG

6. DOG VS BALL

WINNER: DOG

7. DOG VS LIVING ROOM

WINNER: DOG

8. DOG VS SLEEP

WINNER: SLEEP

9. DOG VS STICK

WINNER: DOG

10. DOG VS TOILET

WINNER: DOG

11. DOG VS WINDOW

WINNER: WINDOW

12. DOG VS RAIN

WINNER: DOG

13. DOG VS NAUTICAL NAVIGATION

WINNER: DOG

14. DOG VS CAMOUFLAGE

WINNER: CAMOUFLAGE

15. DOG VS BATH

WINNER: BATH

16. DOG VS GRAVITY

WINNER: DOG

17. DOG VS GRAVITY 2: GRAVITY TRIES AGAIN

WINNER: STILL DOG

18. DOG VS IRONY

WINNER: EVERYONE

Dogfighting is a felony in all 50 states, but some experts estimate that tens of thousands of people are involved in professional dogfighting, while hundreds of thousands might be participating in so-called “street fighting,” or informal dogfights.

Let’s keep it cute and compassionate and watch our dogs fight windows, gravity, and toilets—not each other!

Help dogs today:

• If you suspect that dogfighting is happening in your neighborhood, contact local law enforcement authorities!
• Since dogfighters usually keep their dogs chained, you can help stop dogfighters by pushing for an anti-chaining ordinance in your community.