Ingrid Newkirk

She was once married to Steve Newkirk whom she divorced in 1980. She did not want to have any children and had herself sterilized.

She was born in Britain to a father who worked as a navigational engineer. The family moved to New Delhi, India when she was seven. Her mother used to volunteer for Mother Teresa at various charities.

She attended a convent boarding school in the Himalayas. Her experience in the school was very unpleasant as she was ill-treated by the nuns and brainwashed about the concept of god.

She helped her mother in her volunteering work which included packing bandages for people suffering from leprosy, stuffing toys for orphans and feeding stray animals.

One of her initial attempts at animal rescue was a heartbreaking incident: she tried to save a dog that was being tortured by some people, however, the dog died in her arms.

Her family moved back to the U.S. when her father joined the U.S. Air Force when she was 18 years old.

In 1970 she was studying to be a stockbroker in Maryland—at that time she did not have any aspirations about building a career in animal welfare. She attempted to rescue some kittens abandoned by her neighbor and took them to a shelter where they were killed mercilessly. This motivated her to work on behalf of animals.

Her first job in the field of animal welfare was cleaning kennels and investigating animal cruelty cases. She found rampant animal abuse in the kennels and reported them to the animal authorities.

She went on to become an animal protection officer and served as a deputy sheriff in Maryland. She attained the highest success rate in convicting animal abusers during her stint. She also served as the chief of animal disease control for the Commission of Public Health in Washington, D.C.

She was the D.C.’s first female poundmaster and it was under her direction that the first ever spay and neuter clinic in Washington, D.C. was established. She also facilitated the setting up of veterinary services and adoption program. She played a key role in getting many organizations that engaged in animal cruelty and abuse closed.

She met animal activist Alex Pacheco in 1980. He gave her a copy of Peter Singer’s ‘Animal Liberation’, a book which explored the philosophical premises of the animal liberation movement. Reading this book made her realize her purpose in life.

She is the co-founder and international president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) which is the world's largest animal rights organization. Its slogan is ‘animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, use for entertainment or abuse in any way’.