Return to About PETA Front Page

PETA believes that animals deserve the most basic rights—consideration of their own best interests regardless of whether they are useful to humans. Like you, they are capable of suffering and have interests in leading their own lives; therefore, they are not ours to use—for food, clothing, entertainment, or experimentation, or for any other reason.

Features

PETA MilestonesSince its inception, PETA has helped countless animals escape a sad fate arbitrarily assigned to them: a life at the end of a chain, in a laboratory cage, on a filthy feedlot, or in a stifling circus boxcar. PETA's significant victories have furthered animal rights faster than any other social movement. Here are the defining moments.
(Macromedia Flash Player Required)
Annual Review Annual Review
Every year, PETA gets a little more creative and pushes the envelope a little further in our work to stop the use of animals for food, entertainment, clothing, and experimentation. Read about the highlights of 2003.
PETA In the News PETA in the Headlines
PETA’s message reaches across the country and the globe, from CNN to the The Times of India to the Halifax Daily News. We provide up-to-the-minute news articles about our campaigns to stop cruelty to animals. Read the latest.
Ask CarlaAsk Carla
Carla Bennett, PETA’s “kindness consultant,” answers all your questions—whether you want to know if lobsters feel pain or how down is obtained. If you can’t find what you want, submit your own question—no topic is off limits. Get answers.
PETA's Animal TimesPETA's Animal Times
PETA’s colorful quarterly magazine offers in-depth features, stories from activists, recipes, campaign updates, and more.
PETA TVPETA TV
Tune into undercover investigations, outrageous protests, and PETA’s famous ads. Watch footage that networks refused to air, and see what really happens behind the closed doors of animal labs, fur farms, and slaughterhouses. Watch it.

Recent Victories

AVMA Ends Support for Cruel Starvation of Hens!

Retailer Drops Fur, Now ‘a Safe Place Where Women Can Shop’

Another 675 Animals Saved From Testing

PUMA Pulls Commercial in Which Young Chimpanzee Was Used

One Hundred Starving Horses Seized in California

Canada Goose Killer Slapped With Federal Citation

PETA's Mission Statement

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), with more than 800,000 members, is the largest animal rights organization in the world. Founded in 1980, PETA is dedicated to establishing and protecting the rights of all animals. PETA operates under the simple principle that animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment.

PETA focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: on factory farms, in laboratories, in the fur trade, and in the entertainment industry. We also work on a variety of other issues, including the cruel killing of beavers, birds and other "pests," and the abuse of backyard dogs.

PETA works through public education, cruelty investigations, research, animal rescue, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns.

More Information

HistoryHistory
Founded in 1980, PETA hit the ground running with an undercover investigation of a Maryland laboratory that resulted in the first-ever conviction of an animal experimenter on charges of animal abuse. Twenty years later, we convinced fast-food giant Burger King to improve conditions for millions of animals on factory farms. Read more.
Frequently Asked QuestionsJob Openings
PETA’s headquarters in Virginia employ more than 100 dedicated and diverse staff members from around the world. Our large “family” shares a passion for animals and a hearty appetite for vegan food. Read more.
Financial StatementFinancial Statement
PETA’s greatest achievements are the result of 80 percent generous donation,10 percent creative innovation, 8 percent perspiration, and 2 percent Tofutti ice cream! We work hard to develop strategies that ensure the best possible outcome for animals from our precious resources. See our financial statement.
E-News UpdatesE-News Updates
PETA keeps you current on all our latest actions, Web features, mall items, videos, vegan recipes, and more. You can tailor your newsletter to your specific interests. Sign up.



















Click here to return to PETA.org