Dear Friends,
At PETA, we know that every animal is someone—they are all individuals, yet many end up as hamburgers, handbags, laboratory tools, or cheap burglar alarms.
PETA spent 2024 opening people’s eyes to those someones. Our stunning robotic lamb and towering 7-foot-tall “ostrich” grabbed attention and a proclamation: “PETA always has the best stuff.”
We have the “best stuff” because we give our best to everything we do for animals—and it shows. As a writer for Vox said, “Known for its ostentatious protests, [PETA] is almost single-handedly responsible for making animal rights part of the national conversation.” Our best ideas, best campaigns, and best organizing delivered historic results this year. We achieved the first-ever federal criminal convictions of a supplier of animals for experiments. That win came from PETA’s 2021 undercover investigation into Envigo’s beagle factory farm, in which we exposed cruelty to dogs so extreme that the facility shut down and nearly 4,000 remaining dogs were released for adoption. Envigo was sentenced on historic conspiracy charges and ordered to pay more than $35 million in penalties. And following our 2021 investigation into Plainville Farms, one more ex-employee was convicted of cruelty to turkeys, bringing the total to 10. In India, PETA-supported Animal Rahat has rescued 360 donkeys from hard labor, replacing the weary souls with tractors and trolleys at 34 brick kilns since its mechanization program began.
Following dozens of demonstrations by PETA entities at H&M stores around the world, an appeal from Joaquin Phoenix, shareholder resolutions, and more, the company announced that it has committed to no longer sourcing any new down for any of its brands worldwide. After we pushed and prodded fashion company Tory Burch about the suffering sewn into items made of wild-animal skins, that label did away with “exotic skins.” For animals abused for entertainment, PETA persuaded Miami-Dade County to finally terminate the Miami Seaquarium’s lease. Three parrots who were suffering in rusted cages in the cruel park are now enjoying life in a sanctuary home.
Those are just a few drops in a bucket overflowing with progress for animals this year. But for every step forward, there are still many more to take in the years ahead. All our supporters—especially our Vanguard Society, Augustus Club, and Investigations & Rescue Fund members—play a vital role in each win, not just with your generous funding but also by using your voices. PETA relies on our supporters to never be silent. Thank you for being the squeaky wheels, the feeders of information, and the educators of others. Together, we are fighting for the rights of every animal, because every animal is someone!
With kind regards,
Ingrid Newkirk
President
Board of Directors and Officers
Ingrid Newkirk, Secretary
Michael P. Rodman, Chair
Jeanne Roush, Treasurer
Honorary Board of Directors
Nanci Alexander
Pamela Anderson
Pinky Cole
James Cromwell
Alan Cumming
Kate del Castillo
Edie Falco
Anjelica Huston
Bill Maher
Marco Antonio Regil
Alicia Silverstone
Lily Tomlin