Ingrid Newkirk

Ingrid Elizabeth Newkirk is a British-American animal activist and the president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Born on June 11, 1949, Newkirk has been a dedicated advocate for animal rights since 1972. Alongside fellow activist Alex Pacheco, she founded PETA in March 1980. Notably, Newkirk gained public attention in 1981 for her involvement in the Silver Spring monkeys case, where she exposed the mistreatment of macaque monkeys in an animal research laboratory. As an author, Newkirk has written several books, including The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights: Simple Acts of Kindness to Help Animals in Trouble (2009) and Animalkind: Remarkable Discoveries About Animals and Revolutionary New Ways to Show Them Compassion (2020).