Saturday, August 7, 2010

Kristy Lee Cook in sights of PETA over hunting reality show

”American Idol” followers likely remember Kristy Lee Cook, a top-10 finisher from season seven back in 2008 who delivered country flair to her performances. It was possibly that country style that led Cook into her starring role on the new Versus cable reality and hunting program “Goin’ Country”. Now PETA has Kristy Lee Cook in its sights. The often controversial animal rights organization is locked, loaded and waiting for Cook to blink.

Kristy Lee Cook has called PETA’s bluff

In a public statement, Kristy Lee Cook did not mince words when it comes to her “Goin’ Country” roots. PETA had harsh words for the former “Idol” star, whom they’d hoped would toe the line and advertise with them in support of animal right as Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler and Simon Cowell have done before. Cook, who supports animal rights, fired back at the bully organization. “Given that hunters have done more for American wildlife conservation than any other group in history, I make no apology for being one,” Cook told Fox. ”Indeed, I join the ranks of millions of American hunters who celebrate our outdoor heritage and who conserve millions of acres of wild lands. These very same individuals support more than 600,000 jobs across the country and provide a critical voice to encourage more investment in American conservation”.

She sings, she hunts

”Goin’ Country” gives viewers a slice of the Cook life. Much of her time is devoted to her animal charity, the “Kristy Lee Horse Heaven Foundation”. One of the recreational activities depicted in the show is family hunting trips. During the program, Cook makes a point of showing that she handles hunting in a responsible fashion, focusing on conservation and healthy roles meat can play in one’s diet. “If I do not take the meat home to my family, then we give it to orphanages or homeless shelters,” she said.

Meat is brain food

Groups like PETA who criticize the practice of controlled hunting are no doubt oblivious to the evolutionary value of meat to humanity. Leslie Aiello, an anthropologist, told NPR lately that the time when humans began to eat meat fostered in major changes.“What we think is that this dietary change around 2.3 million years ago was one of the major significant factors in the evolution of our own species,” she recently told NPR. Aiello and other scientists believe that the development of tools used in hunting fostered greater brain development. Most considerably, the caloric and fat value of meat gave brains the energy needed for growth. In theory, the more energy-efficient transaction gave brains what they needed to grow larger. The subsequent invention of cooking also helped brain development, as it needs social interaction and division of work.

More on this topic

Fox News

foxnews.com/entertainment/2010/08/03/exclusive-peta-takes-aim-kristy-lee-cooks-hunting-shoots/

NPR.org

npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128849908

Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristy_Lee_Cook



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