Animal rights activism beyond death

A will for the animals

The founder and president of the animal rights organisation PETA, Ingrid Newkirk, has revised her last will and testament to ensure that she continues to draw attention to the mistreatment and exploitation of animals even after her death.

She also wishes to have a piece of her heart buried at the racing circuit in Hockenheim. As a great Formula 1 fan, she thereby also pays tribute to racing driver and animal lover Michael Schumacher, who has repeatedly supported PETA in the past.

She had originally written her will 20 years earlier following a fear of flying. Since PETA has achieved so many victories for animals since then, she has revised it. The circus company Ringling Bros., to which she had initially bequeathed her index finger as the “World’s Greatest Accusation,” has in the meantime ceased the use of animals and receives a thumbs up in thanks for animal acts now being a thing of the past.

“On his deathbed, entertainer Bob Hope was asked where he wanted to be buried. He replied: Surprise me,” says PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk. “In my case, I hope that when I die, I can continue to surprise those who harm animals by provoking conversations about speciesism and inspiring campaigns against animal abuse.”

Newkirk’s updated will

• One of her thumbs goes, following a success announcement, to the American circus company Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Thumbs up for the circus now performing without animal acts.
• A piece of her heart to Elon Musk, so that he can clone himself a heart: for his cruel and deadly Neuralink brain experiments on monkeys, pigs, rats and sheep show that he does not have one.
• A piece of her spine to the cowardly trophy hobby hunter Donald Trump Jr., who might stop proving his masculinity by shooting magnificent, peaceful, and unsuspecting animals if he had a backbone.
• A piece of her trachea to the Westminster Kennel Club, which breeds dog breeds with breathing difficulties. Due to their shortened airways, they are forced to wheeze and pant when running, playing, or even attempting to go for a walk.
• Her lungs to the Governor of Alaska, to demand an end to the Iditarod sled dog race, in which over 150 dogs have died. The most common cause of death is aspiration pneumonia (caused by inhaling their own vomit).
• Her intestines to chef Nusret Gökçe, also known as Salt Bae and restaurateur of the luxury restaurant chain Nusr-Et, to be used as sausage casings in his meat restaurants, which might prompt him to reconsider who he serves up.
• One ear to the Spanish king in protest against bullfighting, in which the matador cuts off the bull's ears as a trophy.
• One of her feet to The North Face, to give the company a kick in the backside for selling down and wool while claiming to produce environmentally friendly clothing.
• Other provisions of her original will remain unchanged. These include the wishes to grill her flesh (with onions) at a human barbecue and to saw off a foot for an umbrella stand, akin to the elephant feet she saw in India during her childhood. This also includes sending the teddy bears Bruno and Rupert, which she has kept since childhood, to an orphanage in India. More on the topic Animal rights and Animal welfare.

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