MIAMI -- On Tuesday, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) fired off a letter to Miami-Dade School Board member Betsy Kaplan urging her to stop Coral Reef Senior High School's plan to auction off a pig for slaughter. The pig, named "Bacon," was raised from infancy by the school's chapter of the Future Farmers of America Club.

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The appeal to Kaplan comes after several Coral Reef students contacted PETA seeking help to save the animal's life and send her to a sanctuary.

Bacon is scheduled to be auctioned off at the Miami-Dade County Fair on March 20. A PETA representative, along with several Coral Reef students, will testify on behalf of Bacon at the upcoming school board meeting on March 17.

As a last resort, the students are prepared to enter the bidding for Bacon, which is estimated to start at $900.

In the letter, PETA states its view that encouraging students to raise an animal, letting them grow fond of her, and then teaching them that it is acceptable to sell that animal to slaughter to make a quick buck desensitizes them to the suffering of others and sends the message that violence is acceptable.

Conversely, teaching students to nurture and care for animals promotes responsibility and empathy and fosters kind behavior toward others, PETA said.

"Coral Reef Senior High School is teaching students to embrace violence, turn their backs on empathy, and sell out their friends in the animal kingdom," says PETA humane educator Sangeeta Kumar. "This pig deserves to live out her life in peace, and the students who are fighting for her are terrific and deserve to have their voices heard."

For more information visit PETA's Web site.

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