what is peta

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia. It is the largest animal rights organization in the world, with more than 9 million members and supporters globally. PETA opposes speciesism and focuses on areas where animals suffer the most, such as in laboratories, the food industry, the clothing trade, and the entertainment business. The organization works through public education, investigative newsgathering and reporting, research, animal rescue, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns. PETAs mission is to establish and defend the rights of all animals, and it believes that animals have rights and deserve to have their best interests taken into consideration, regardless of whether they are useful to humans. PETA also opposes the cruel killing of rodents, birds, and other animals who are often considered "pests" as well as cruelty to domesticated animals. The organization is known for its campaigns and consumer boycotts, as well as sending its staff undercover into industries and other facilities that use animals to document the alleged abuse of animals.