IT IS inspiring to see the mixture of outrage, disbelief and laughter filling the media since PETA sent our request to the iconic Australian band Hunters and Collectors asking them to change their name.

PETA will be shedding "True Tears of Joy” if the band agrees to make a point about the appalling and gratuitous annual slaughter of some 300,000 peaceful water birds that is about to recommence in Victoria and Tasmania.

Of course, H&C are not themselves out there with high powered rifles and a taste for blood, but when hugely popular bands are "Talking to a Stranger” it is easy for people to get the wrong idea, and think that because the music is great, the words in the band's name must also be admirable.

An "Easy” change of name won't put the band "Back on the Breadline”, but may well make some fans think about the fate of animals who, going peacefully about their business, are blasted from the sky by hunters, just for some sort of twisted fun.

People love to laugh at PETA and our media releases, and we encourage everyone to do so. We're laughing too, at the absurdly disproportionate outrage of some commentators who took the story a little too seriously, and of course at the fact that this simple request is still, days later, getting people laughing, shouting, commenting and most of all thinking about the exploitation of animals. Any response is better than to "Turn a Blind Eye”.

"When the River Runs Dry”, PETA will still be there, fighting with weapons of laughter and tears against animal abuse.

Have a laugh on PETA, but check out PETA.org.au to find out more about the atrocities that humans visit on other animals.

Ashley Fruno,

Associate Director of Campaigns,

PETA Australia.