People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is an animal rights organization dedicated to promoting vegetarianism and awareness of animal rights. It focuses on what it calls the four main areas of animal suffering (factory farms, animal testing, clothing trade, and the entertainment industry), as well as other individual issues[1]. It was founded in 1981 by Ingrid Newkirk.
Activism
PETA achieves its goals through "public education, cruelty investigations, research, animal rescue, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns,"[1] but they are best known for their provacative advertising and protests. For example, they often use nude women to protest the wearing of fur.[2] They have also had controversial public education campaigns, including comparing Jewish ritual slaughter to the Holocaust.
Many prominent celebrities support PETA, such as Richard Gere, Alec Baldwin, Paul McCartney, and Russel Simmons.
Controversy
PETA receives criticism from many different groups, including researchers, consumer advocates and others who claim that PETA's goals are not animal rights, but animal liberation,[3] which would mean no meat, dairy, hunting, fishing, circus animals, aquariums, or even pets.
Critics also chastise PETA for some of its methods of action, including stalking, attacking and harassing those in the food or medical research industries[3] and supporting violent animal rights and environmental groups such as the Earth Liberation Front and the Animal Liberation Front[4]. There are even accusations that PETA kills more animals than they help, possibly thousands per year.[5]
External Links
- PETA Website [6]
- Center for Consumer Freedom [7], a consumer advocate group
- ActivistCash.com
- PetaKillsAnimals.com