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 Ingrid
E. Newkirk, 51, is cofounder and president of People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals, the largest, most aggressively
provocative, inspiringly successful animal rights organization
in the world. Operating under the simple premise that "animals
are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment,"
PETA has been responsible for such breakthroughs as the closure
of a military laboratory in which animals were shot, and stopping
the use of cats and dogs in all wound laboratories.
Newkirk's
campaigns to challenge the moneyed institutions that brutalize
animals have made her the target of Federal Grand Jury inquisitions
and corporate bullying. The controversy she stirs in her wake
has made the front pages of Washington Post and other national
newspapers. She has appeared on Politically Incorrect, The
Today Show, Phil Donahue, The Oprah Winfrey Show, West 57th,
and Nightline among others.
Newkirk
has spoken internationally on animal protection issues, from
the steps of the Canadian Parliament to the streets of New
Delhi, India where she spent her childhood. She is the author
of Free the Animals: The Story of the Animal Liberation Front,
Save the Animals! 101 Easy Things You Can Do, Kids Can Save
the Animals! 101 Easy Things to Do, The Compassionate Cook,
and You Can Save the Animals: 251 Simple Ways to Stop Thoughtless
Cruelty (Prima Publishing, February 1999) as well as numerous
articles on the social implications of our treatment of animals
in our homes, slaughterhouses, circuses, and laboratories.
Under
Newkirk’s direction, PETA has blazed the trail in the
successful battle to wean cosmetics giants, such as Avon and
Revlon, away from cruel and archaic animal tests (such as
the Draize rabbit eye test). Precedent-setting prosecutions
of the egregious cruelty waged by factory farmers, animal
scientists, and circus animal trainers have been a hallmark
of Newkirk’s uncompromising work. Ingrid Newkirk coordinated
the first arrest in U.S. history of a laboratory animal scientist
on animal cruelty charges. She spearheaded the closure of
a Department of Defense underground "wound laboratory,"
and has initiated many other campaigns against animal abuse,
including ending General Motors' crash tests on animals.
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