People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

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People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

Logo used since 1980
Founded	March 22, 1980; 44 years ago (1980-03-22)
Founders	Ingrid Newkirk Alex Pacheco
Type	501(c)(3)
Focus	Animal rights
Location	Norfolk, Virginia, United States
President	Ingrid Newkirk[1]
Senior VP, Campaigns	Dan Mathews[1]
Revenue	US$66.3 million (2020)[2]
Website	www.peta.org

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; /ˈpiːtə/) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. PETA says that its entities have more than 9 million members globally. ^{[citation needed]}

Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal rights activist Alex Pacheco, the organization first gained attention in the summer of 1981 during what became known as the Silver Spring monkeys case.^[3] The organization opposes factory farming, fur farming, animal testing, and other activities it considers to be exploitation of animals.^[a]

The organization's controversial campaigns have been credited with drawing media attention to animal rights issues, but have also been widely criticized. Its use of euthanasia has resulted in legal action and a response from Virginia lawmakers.

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