{"id":81239,"date":"2010-06-23T21:08:00","date_gmt":"2010-06-24T01:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.peta.org\/about-peta\/history\/"},"modified":"2025-06-24T16:38:36","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T23:38:36","slug":"history","status":"publish","type":"about","link":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/about-peta\/learn-about-peta\/history\/","title":{"rendered":"PETA’s History: Compassion in Action"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Before PETA existed, there were two important things that you could do if you wanted to help animals. You could volunteer at a local animal shelter, or you could donate money to a humane society. While many of these organizations did useful work to bring comfort to animals who are used by humans, they didn’t question why we kill animals for their flesh or their skins or why we use them for tests of new product ingredients or for our entertainment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PETA\u2019s founders sought to give caring people something more that they could do and to provide them with ways to actively change society. They wanted to show how easy it is to go vegan<\/a> and shop cruelty-free<\/a>. They wanted to protest, loudly and publicly<\/a>, against cruelty to animals in all its forms, and they wanted to expose what really went on behind the very thick, soundproof walls of animal laboratories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aided by thorough investigative work, consumer protests, and international media coverage, PETA brings together members of the scientific, corporate, and legislative communities to achieve large-scale, long-term changes<\/a> that prevent animal suffering and exploitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PETA\u2019s first case\u2014the precedent-setting 1981 Silver Spring monkeys case<\/a>\u2014resulted in the first arrest and criminal conviction of an animal experimenter in the U.S. on charges of cruelty to animals, the first confiscation of abused laboratory animals, and the first U.S. Supreme Court victory for animals in laboratories. And we haven\u2019t stopped winning in our efforts for animals since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PETA’s Historic Cases<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every year, with the help of generous supporters<\/a>, PETA is able to secure victories for animals. And every victory is important and celebrated, from the smallest mouse spared a horrific death in a glue trap to the thousands of cows, pigs, chickens, and fish whose lives are spared every time someone goes vegan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following are just a few of PETA’s major accomplishments for animals:<\/p>\n\n\n\n