The landscape of veganism has changed dramatically since the 1980s when Ingrid Newkirk co-founded the American animal rights organisation PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) with fellow activist Alex Pacheco. For one, people no longer think that vegans are people from Las Vegas. For the past four decades, Newkirk has placed herself at the centre of the fight for animal rights, to stop an annual pigeon shoot and to protest their use of fur— among a vast array of other performances.
Her tactics have been described as ‘radical’ and ‘extremist’ — a label which Newkirk calls “backwards”. “It’s pretty radical to take a chicken who’s sensitive and sweet, who values her freedom and life, and slit her throat for a snack,” Newkirk told “It’s pretty extreme to seize a mother monkey from the forest and use her to produce babies who will have electrodes put in their heads for psychology experiments.” The controversial founder celebrated her 75th earlier this month by in a life-size pig transport truck covered with images of real pigs crammed into crates on their way to slaughter.
The truck blared real-life recorded sounds of pigs screaming — in true PETA style. “We disturb people’s comfort to show them how their habits are exploitative and get them to realise that they may be – even inadvertently – contributing to harm and slaughter,” Newkirk said. “That may be met with censure or defensiveness from some quarters, but so be it.
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