In many people’s minds the name Ingrid Newkirk is synonymous with controversy. The organization she cofounded in 1980, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), has built a reputation for its attention-getting stunts, advertisements, and protests in the name of abolishing cruelty to animals. In fulfilling its simple motto, “Animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment,” PETA has done everything from sneaking a dead raccoon onto the plate of a famous fur-wearing fashion-magazine editor at a high-end restaurant to staging (every year since 2002) a “running of the nudes” in Pamplona, Spain, as a humane counterpoint to that city’s annual “running of the bulls.” Frequently using sex, celebrities, and shock value to make its points, PETA has many times garnered disapproval, from both those outside and those within the animal rights movement. The organization and Newkirk have been accused at various times of tastelessness, of misanthropy, and of hurting the movement. But despite the perceived extremity of its tactics over its 27-year history, PETA, through the unrelenting spotlight it has placed on the many instances of institutionalized animal cruelty, has achieved successes that have undeniably improved conditions for animals. […]

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Dr. Randall Lockwood is Senior Vice President for Anti-Cruelty Initiatives and Legislative Services for the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). He has worked with humane societies and law-enforcement agencies for more than 25 years, serving as an expert on dog aggression, dog bite prevention, illegal dogfighting, and the interactions between people and animals. He has testified in numerous trials involving cruelty to animals or the treatment of animals in the context of other crimes. Dr. Lockwood has written or co-authored several books on cruelty to animals. Encyclopaedia Britannica’s Advocacy for Animals spoke with Dr. Lockwood recently about educating the public, and public servants, about animal cruelty; how animals can teach children compassion; and his boyhood preparation for his work in the field of forensics. […]

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WWF, with its familiar panda logo, is known worldwide for its wide-ranging conservation efforts. Generally known simply by its initials, the Switzerland-based organization is called the World Wide Fund for Nature in some countries and the World Wildlife Fund in North America. Its mission statement signals the scope of its commitment: […]

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