Ingrid Newkirk

Ingrid Newkirk is a British-American activist, author, and co-founder and president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). 

Newkirk co-founded PETA in 1980 with fellow animal rights advocate Alex Pacheco. In 1981, PETA caught the public eye by releasing photographs of 17 macaque monkeys being experimented on inside the Institute of Behavioral Research in Silver Spring, Maryland. This led to a police raid on the research facility and amendments to the Animal Welfare Act. 

Since then, PETA has campaigned on many animal rights issues, including factory farming, cosmetic and medical testing, keeping animals in captivity and horse slaughter. PETA is known for its headline-grabbing tactics and “shocking” advertisements to spread the message of animal liberation. 

It wasn’t until she was 21 years old that Newkirk became familiar with the idea of animal rights. Newkirk’s neighbour had abandoned some kittens and she decided to take them to an animal shelter. This is where she met Alex Pacheco, who gave her a copy of Peter Singer’s seminal work Animal Liberation, and the pair were inspired to start PETA together. It is therefore apt that, in 2016, Newkirk was awarded the Peter Singer Prize for Strategies to Reduce the Suffering of Animals.

Newkirk has also authored many books, including One Can Make a Difference, Making Kind Choices and Free the Animals. 

Newkirk’s website states that, “she is an abolitionist who remains committed to the idea that animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment.”