"We have to be aggressive when those we stick up for have no voice. I dont consider it radical to say cruelty is wrong and that animals should be respected. I consider it radical to eat corpses, put electrodes in animals heads, make elephants live in chains in the circus, and poison animals we consider a nuisance."
Ingrid Elizabeth Newkirk is a British and American animal rights activist, author and the co-founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the world's largest animal rights organization.
"If that hideousness came here, it wouldnt be any more hideous for the animals — they are all bound for a ghastly death anyway. But it would wake up consumers. … I openly hope it [hoof and mouth disease] comes here. It will bring economic harm only for those who profit from giving people heart attacks and giving animals a concentration camp-like existence. It would be good for animals, good for human health and good for the environment."
Ingrid Newkirk"If anyone did that, I absolutely apologize. … Because everything we do is based at adults. Were asking adults be responsible. You were telling me about giving your children meat and milk. Theyre going to be to grow up to be tubs of lard. Theyre getting heart attacks."
Ingrid Newkirk"Since co-founding People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals 21 years ago, Ingrid Newkirk has emerged as one of the shining lights of the animal rights movement. Through the use of shock tactics and a continuing series of controversial media campaigns, Newkirk and PETA have been able to effect change where other animal rights activists have failed miserably. Although criticized at one point or another by seemingly everybody under the sun, PETA nevertheless has a world-wide membership of over 300,000 activists and continues to be one of the most visible animal rights organizations in the world."
Ingrid Newkirk"Seriously, I think everybody needs to be more disciplined; nobody needs any meat. But from a perspective of how many animals suffer, it’s probably better to kill and eat one whale than it is to eat fish, chickens, cows, lambs and eggs."
Ingrid Newkirk"I think that’s just a throwaway line, because most people don’t really care if they are being true to their original nature. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be wearing clothes and driving cars, but out picking berries and eating bark. If you study anthropology — which most people don’t — and you start to learn about our intestinal structure, our teeth, our digestive system, our mouth structure, you begin to realize that maybe we aren’t meant to be eating animals after all."
Ingrid Newkirk"Animal liberationists do not separate out the human animal, so there is no rational basis for saying that a human being has special rights. A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy. They are all mammals"
Ingrid Newkirk