People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; PEE-tə) is an American animal rights non-profit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and originally led by Ingrid Newkirk, its co-founder. Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal rights activist Alex Pacheco, the organization first gained attention in the summer of 1981 during what became known as the Silver Spring monkeys case.