The passion and dedication of Ingrid Newkirk, founder of the world’s largest animal rights group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in 1980, for the cause has not diminished a bit. On the contrary her will to make this world a better place for all living beings is more resolute. Soft spoken yet firm in her opinion, she makes her point without raising her voice.
In India during the World Vegan Month, Newkirk championed the cause of chickens whose consumption has seen a sharp increase in the country. “I wanted to focus on beings which are killed much more but are not talked about. If we care about parrots and peacocks then why do we not care about chickens?”
Edited excerpts from an interview:
How would you describe the 35 years journey of PETA?
It is extraordinary. When we started almost nobody was talking about some of major issues we took up. Veganism was not even a word. And today of course, it is very popular. You can’t move without falling over a vegan. Earlier there was no soya milk and today it is sold in cartons and tetrapacks. People then wore fur. It was not an issue and we made it an issue and now it is socially unacceptable to steal something from an animal’s back.
In the last five to ten years there are more materials we can use. There are amazing poly fibres that are lighter, warmer than wool, fur and are even used on mountaineering and polar expeditions. Earlier animals, mostly baboons, and pigs were used in car crash tests. No car company would dream of doing it now. We campaigned and stopped it. The list is endless.
People now understand animal rights and vegan. You do not have to explain.
The most important thing is not what we as a group do but how we influence everybody as a group.
So from a campaigner you are evolving into an influencer.
It is a culture we are trying to perpetrate. Yes, we are influencers. Recently, we found that Kikkoman, maker of soy sauce was testing its products on animals and we contacted the company in Japan and said there is no excuse for this. They said we do not think we have to change anything. So we told our members. And thousand upon thousands calls came to Kikkoman and they stopped the tests.
How do you view cruelty to animals?
There are two aspects to the problem. The people who work in these tanneries, slaughters houses and labs can work because they do not see these animals as individuals with emotions and feelings. That is how they do their job but would not be able to do so if all of us did not pay them to do it. The other aspect is that the average shopper and consumer should know that the animal did not voluntarily give the skin or the ribs or anything else. So if you buy a wool sweater or leather shoes or chicken kabab or a shampoo – derived from or tested on the animals then you are paying those ‘cold’ people to do it.
Between the two who is worse?
For me, the shoppers because the people who do it are cold and it is nothing to them.
Does PETA’s association with celebrities pay dividends?
If I say something people might continue walking but if it is a celebrity they turn around to listen. They may discuss if the celebrity is right or wrong, genuine or not but they do talk. We have wonderful celebrities who do care and use their celebrity status not just for money or for photo opportunity but to do something kind and good. The big thing is attention and if you do not get attention for a social cause, social cause is dead.
Consumers usually are not impressed by celebrities in ads.
That may be true for commercial products but not with charity, because for the former everybody knows their payment involved. They appear for us only if they care as it involves giving time which is precious and worth money and their image which can be used sparingly.
Is it not tough for human beings to become vegetarians when they are born to eat meat?
I am going to argue with you on that. For those who give this argument we have to take them through anthropology one on one. Primates mostly eat vegetables, leaves, nuts, fruits and other things and only some like chimpanzees attack other monkeys and eat their flesh and that is cannibalism.
Isn’t veganism stretching the idea of vegetarianism too far?
Dairy products give you bronchitis, stomach problems and all sorts of things. The whole process is unnatural. A cow makes milk for her calf. In the old days when they did not have extra food they would take a little milk for themselves but today it is all mechanised and commercial. I do not think veganism is taking it too far. I think meat and dairy eating is.
Doesn’t ban on using animals in films affect the creativity?
Those who say that are not creative then. If you think animals can be used as props, toys, for fun and amusement what can I say? When Darren Aronofsky wanted to make Noah , he came to our office and said that he was going to use thousands of animals of all kinds and asked how he could make sure that this was done in a humane way. We said you can’t because when they are under the lights, they get stressed, afraid, tense and confused. He got the best CGI in the world and did not use any animals in the whole film.
Prohibition on circuses and street performers leads to unemployment.
There is always an alternative. Throughout history people have had to learn new trades. Those who use bullock carts can be trained to drive tractors. Similarly when the Victorias in Mumbai are stopped they can be trained to drive decorated golf cart to ferry tourists. We helped a man obtain a soft loan to buy a mechanised cart for transporting bricks from kiln instead of using donkeys. Similarly, mahouts were briefed on methods to train elephants without beating or chaining.
Isn’t sterilisation of stray animals akin to curtailing their freedom?
Yes absolutely. But at the moment that being does not have that much of freedom. We are not a village and there is no room for them and what we say is the ones who are here, please look after them. Sterilise them otherwise they will be treated very badly–– rounded up by the municipalities using metal tongs and killed. So why bring into this world more dogs who are going to end up badly.
