About People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA):
- It is a nongovernmental organization (NGO) committed to ending abusive treatment of animals in business and society and promoting consideration of animal interests in everyday decision-making and general policies and practices.
- It is the largest animal rights organization in the world.
- PETA was founded in 1980 by Ingrid Newkirk and Alex Pacheco, who were influenced by Australian ethicist Peter Singer’s book Animal Liberation (1975).
- It is based in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, with entities worldwide.
- Initially recognized for exposing cruelty in research laboratories, PETA has grown into a global entity with over ten million members and considerable annual expenditures.
- The very heart of all of PETA’s actions is the idea that it is the right of all beings—human and nonhuman alike—to be free from harm.
- PETA advocates that animals should not be used for human benefit and promotes alternatives made possible by technological advancements.
- PETA opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview, and focuses on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time:
- in laboratories
- in the food industry
- in the clothing trade and
- in the entertainment business
- PETA also works on a variety of other issues, including the cruel killing of rodents, birds, and other animals who are often considered “pests” and cruelty to domesticated animals.
- PETA works through public education, investigations, research, animal rescue, legislation, protests, and negotiations with companies and regulatory agencies.
