Ingrid Newkirk, founder of PETA,  is a force of nature!

"Animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way," is the long-time declaration of PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.  With 485 employees and over 6.5 million supporters, PETA is the largest and most far-reaching of animal rights organizations.  PETA  has been instrumental in exposing the cruelty and horror in factory farms, animal experimentation, the fur and fashion industry, circuses, the travel industry, cock fighting, dog fighting, bull fighting, Ag-Gag laws and so much more.

PETA also has a formidable vegan outreach program with veg starter kits and has expanded animal welfare concerns beyond the United States to India and Asia.  Not to mention, PETA has been creative in putting out tongue-in-cheek, as well as serious, advertising campaigns in front of the public eye. Celebrities from Alec Baldwin to Joaquin Phoenix to super model Joanna Krupa, just to name a few, have lent their image and words to support PETA’s campaigns.

Now, sitting in my kitchen, founder of PETA, Ingrid Newkirk, discusses with candor and youthful energy the many projects that PETA is working on to benefit animals (and the planet and people). Ultimately, PETA’s intent is to make the world a kinder place by encouraging human compassion to sentient animals that can feel pain and share with us a range of emotions. 

I support this, of course, and have always been a fan of PETA even if I don’t agree with absolutely everything they have ever done.  I support PETA because far and away, they move the needle for animals more than any other organization. Ingrid's book Animalkind: Remarkable Discoveress About Animals and Revolutionary New Ways to Show them Compassion is out now on pre-order on Amazon. 

That said, PETA is no stranger to controversy.  PETA did not support Prop 12 in California and has defended its euthanasia program to put down dogs that can’t be adopted out.  

Listen in to this informal and causal interview to hear Ingrid Newkirk and decide for yourself: Is PETA extreme? For more information, visit http://Peta.org and http://ElysabethAlfano.com