Ingrid Newkirk

Ingrid Newkirk ( born June 11, 1949 in Surrey, United Kingdom) is a British-American animal rights activist, co-founder and president of the international animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA ).

Life

Newkirk grew up in New Delhi and worked in the 1970s as a Deputy Sheriff in Maryland (USA) and the District of Columbia. As part of their duties, was already dealing with offenses against animal welfare. During this time she has been influenced by its own account by Peter Singer's book Animal Liberation. In 1980 she founded together with the well-known activist Alex Pacheco, the group PETA.

Over the years, Newkirk etc. can some success against factory farming, animal testing, animal cruelty. In addition, she has published several books on the subject. Newkirk is heavily criticized, among other reasons because of their positive attitude towards the violent Animal Liberation Front. In addition, some interview statements Newkirk have caused outrage. She had Yasser Arafat asked in a letter not to send animals as living bombs to Israel; to the question why they did not ask to stop the attacks, she replied that it was not their job to interfere in human wars. Newkirk appeared in public again for the identification of animals and humans: " There is no rational basis for the claim that people have special rights. A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy. They're all animals. " Newkirk, besides her activity for PETA director of PETA Foundation and Advisory Board member of Earth Save International organizations and United Poultry Concerns.

In her will, Newkirk states that she wants to donate her body PETA and proposes, among other things, that parts are to be grilled them, their skin to be processed into leather and their feet to umbrella stands and that her liver in France as part of a protest against foie gras is to be used.