People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) HQ

Since 1980, PETA has been dedicated to defending the rights of all animals. We operate under the simple principle that animals are not ours to experiment on, eat, wear, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way. We believe that all animals are individuals with an inherent worth and deserve to have their best interests taken into consideration—regardless of whether they're useful to humans.

Before PETA existed, few questioned why we kill animals for their flesh, why we cage them in laboratories and test chemicals on them, or why we imprison them in tiny cages and tanks for our entertainment. Now that we've called the world's attention to animal rights, our goal is to raise awareness of cruelty to animals in all its forms.

We focus our attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: in experiments; in the meat, egg, and dairy industries; in the clothing trade; and in the entertainment industry. We won't rest until all animals have a chance to live free from cruelty and exploitation.

Public awareness is PETA's most effective weapon against animal mistreatment. We use eye-catching campaigns and startling exposés to inform policymakers and the public about animal abuse. Millions of web viewers watch and share our video footage from eyewitness investigations. Our media campaigns—especially those featuring celebrity spokespeople—put animal issues in the spotlight, and our activists organize thousands of attention-grabbing demonstrations around the world each year.

We also create change for animals through shareholder activism, corporate negotiations, internet marketing, scientific research and analysis, funding the development of non-animal test methods, lobbying, humane education, youth involvement, outreach to the courts and law-enforcement agencies, and determined rescue work.

PETA continues to be the most engaged with advocacy organization on social media across all causes. PETA’s advocacy program continues to be unparalleled. Last year, we sent out more than 53 million letters through our online advocacy campaigns, including 4.5 million actions through our Reply Y mobile advocacy program.

Our free resources—such as our popular vegan starter kit and our online How to Wear Vegan guide—help people live more cruelty-free lives and cut off support for cruel industries.

PETA's emphasis is on breaking new ground, whether by focusing on seldom-seen suffering (for example, that of goats abused for cashmere or alligators slaughtered for their skin) or by quickly implementing new tactics based on advances in technology.

PETA is the largest animal rights organization in the world, with more than 6.5 million members and supporters worldwide who help us achieve groundbreaking victories for animals. Our social media posts were seen an average of 142 million times each month in 2019, and our websites received more than 84 million page views. Our Communications Department handled more than 3,500 interviews and correspondences with media in 2019, and our International Grassroots Campaign Department helped organize more than 3,000 demonstrations.

Every year, we handle thousands of calls and e-mails regarding cruelty to animals, and to date, we've delivered a total of more than 7,300 free doghouses for lonely, neglected "outdoor dogs."

PETA has been mentioned by many major media outlets, including The Atlantic, Billboard, Business Insider, Cosmopolitan, the Daily Mail, Entertainment Weekly, Forbes, The Guardian, International Business Times, the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, The New York Times, People, Reader's Digest, Rolling Stone, TIME, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Yahoo! News.

Our work has received television and radio news coverage from many media outlets, including ABC News, Al Jazeera, BBC News, CBC News, CNN, ESPN, Fox News, MTV, NBC News, and NPR.

PETA strives to use funds in the most cost-effective and efficient manner possible, a commitment illustrated by the fact that 80.22 percent of our 2019 operating expenses went directly to our programs fighting animal exploitation. Our president, Ingrid Newkirk, earned $23,660 during the fiscal year ending on July 31, 2019.

PETA has made animal rights a household phrase and helped define the animal rights movement globally. When PETA was formed, the media always put "animal rights" in quotation marks. Today, the movement for animal rights is recognized as one of the most powerful forces for social change in the 21st century.

Given the enormous progress that we've made for animals, it might be tempting to believe that the animal rights movement has gained enough momentum that society will now continue to move forward and reduce the exploitation of animals on its own. But billions of animals face short, miserable lives of daily horrific suffering as well as painful deaths because of consumer decisions—and because powerful industries are promoting those harmful choices.

We have a long way to go to achieve PETA's goal of a world in which animals are respected and humans are aware of and concerned about the ways in which their daily decisions affect the lives of the other beings we share the planet with. We're persuading more people every single day that animals are not ours to use, and we won't relent until their suffering and exploitation stop.