WASHINGTON — Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has called for a halt to SEAL training after allegations of illegal hair product testing on trainees. PETA claims more than 500 SEAL candidates have faced brutal dyeing, shampooing, and perm treatments this year.

“SEALs are precious animals on this Earth,” PETA CEO Ingrid E. Newkirk said this morning. “We cherish every one of their lives and they deserve our best.”

Communications staff from PETA ended the press conference abruptly after a reporter asked if PETA was talking about cute marine mammals or the Navy’s Special Operations force.

The controversy originated in former SEAL Ken Kensington’s tell-all book, "OPSEC Blah-SEC: Shocking Secrets From the SEAL Community."