Dear Friends,
In 2025, we celebrated PETA’s 45th year of making historic progress for animals.
Without PETA’s diligent work, Temple would still be confined to a cage 24/7. PETA’s investigator at Red Beast Enterprises Inc., a Fort Collins, Colorado, contract laboratory also called “High Quality Research,” found dogs and cats warehoused in bleak conditions, animals left to suffer from untreated ailments, and dogs routinely subjected to agonizing “debarking” mutilations without pain relief. Temple was one of those dogs. The sweet-faced beagle, known only as “JGI2,” still has the characters tattooed in her ear. Her vocal cords had been severed with gynecological forceps. Confined to a pen in a windowless room without a bed or toy, Temple cowered in the corner and shook in fear.
Her tremble confirmed what we at PETA have always known: Animals are not disposable pieces of laboratory equipment or money-making tools. They are individuals who feel pain, stress, loneliness, and fear.
Today, Temple feels joy, love, and comfort. Since PETA rescued her and she was adopted by a loving family, Temple has been to beaches, enjoys afternoon naps, and curls up at night in a warm bed—smack dab between her two humans. That’s something to celebrate as we look back on the progress we made for animals together in 2025.
Our victories are deeply encouraging. They also remind us of the animals who still need help and how everyone can make a difference for them. This year, all kinds of people gave PETA’s work a boost. Jeremy Schmidt of Iowa risked his career to report cruelty to chickens he was witnessing at Pure Prairie Poultry. His selflessness prompted government action that fed millions of birds who’d been left to starve and sparked a federal investigation. Another example is Callan MacDonald, a University of Cambridge postgraduate student who created an innovation that could revolutionize the lab-grown meat industry.
We can all help animals through our work, activism, and generosity. Donations from PETA supporters enabled us to transport bears, primates, big cats, and other animals rescued from roadside zoos or labs to sanctuaries; distribute over 15,000 Kind Frogs and donate 1,816 eMind student licenses for virtual dissection; take desperately needed supplies to animal shelters after Hurricane Helene; conduct eyewitness investigations that exposed the horrors animals endure out of sight in laboratories, slaughterhouses, breeding mills, and roadside zoos; and much more. All our supporters—especially our Vanguard Society, Augustus Club, and Investigations & Rescue Fund members— played a vital role in this work. On behalf of everyone at PETA— and the animals like Temple whose lives are filled with joy, respect, and consideration for their individual needs because of your support—thank you!
With kind regards,
Ingrid Newkirk
Founder
Board of Directors and Officers
Ingrid Newkirk, Principal
Michael P. Rodman, Chair
Mary Healey, Treasurer