The animal rights group PETA is hunting down personal information for anonymous commenters who allegedly defamed the organization by lambasting its pet euthanasia policy on the Huffington Post, according to a new Manhattan civil lawsuit.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants the court to release names, email addresses, phone numbers, and other private details about three bloggers who reacted to an April 2 posting by a no-kill shelter advocate that's received almost 5,000 comments and 240,000 "likes" on Facebook.

The missive, "SHOCKING PHOTOS: PETA's Secret Slaughter of Kittens, Puppies," purportedly shows dead and dying pets at the group's Virginia headquarters.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/claws_come_kills_shelter_peta_goes_rkK9NKluuT53huumRp4L5K