Aug 4, 2022
From time to time Zoo Logic is approached by publishers, animal facilities, and individuals requesting to appear on this podcast. Recently, we were approached by a publisher in what can only be described as the most unexpected guest request ever! The publisher had re-issued an updated 30th anniversary edition of Free the Animals, written by none other than PeTA founder, Ingrid Newkirk. After sending a review copy and scheduling the interview, communications coming from the publisher and PeTA began to decline and eventually cease altogether. Apparently, the team representing Ms. Newkirk developed cold feet. Undaunted, we examine the book which describes the formation of the Animal Liberation Front in North America in the early 1980's. Given the advancements in the law, oversight, and public awareness of animal testing since the book's first release decades ago, the question for Ms Newkirk and the author of her foreword, actor Joaquin Phoenix, is whether their message of resorting to criminal acts and property destruction to achieve animal liberation is relevant today.