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For Immediate Release:
30 April 2003
Contact:
Anuradha Sawhney 9820 122602; E-Mail: AnuradhaS@PETA.org
Mumbai — Ingrid Newkirk, founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India, has drawn up her last will and testament, directing that, after her death, parts of her body be put on display or sent to those responsible for abusing animals.
Newkirk, 53, believes human beings have a responsibility to protect other forms of life and has decided to ‘campaign to end animal abuse after death’ by using her body to draw attention to common yet needless cruelties. A few of her wishes are that:
- a portion of her own skin be made into a leather product, like a briefcase or handbag, and displayed outside the Indian leather fair each year to draw attention to the suffering of cows and bullocks slaughtered for their skin;
- a portion of her body be cooked and distributed from a ‘human barbeque’, to remind those who eat meat that the it is flesh and that no one needs to eat it;
- her feet be cut off and turned into umbrella stands, like those made from elephants’ feet, which she saw when she lived in Delhi as a child, to admonish against the use of animals as mere objects for human entertainment.
Newkirk says, ‘If using my body can wake up just one person to the wanton exploitation of animals, then it is a success. People will see that when my skin is tanned, there is no difference between it and the skin they buy in the form of shoes and briefcases. The difference is only that, unlike the millions of cows and buffaloes in India who are beaten and abused before they die a wretched death, I have not been oppressed.’
She continues: ‘Expect to find a kabab stand set up in front of a Idgha? or Deonar abattoir or in the middle of Connaught Place, giving away my cooked flesh. This is far less shocking than stealing the very life of a chicken or goat for nothing more than a fleeting taste sensation.’
Newkirk grew up in India, and she credits her time here to teaching her the compassion and ahimsa values she now lives by. Her campaigns to save animal lives have made headlines around the world. She has written seven books on animal protection and has spoken internationally on animal rights issues, from a cage in the Taiwan street markets to the hearing rooms of the US Congress.
‘I want my work for animals to live on when I'm gone,’ says Newkirk, ‘I will continue to make a stir, even when I am long in the ground.’
A full copy of Ms Newkirk’s will is enclosed along with a photo of her.
DIRECTIONS FOR THE DISPOSITION OF THE REMAINS OF INGRID NEWKIRK
 As someone who has dedicated a part of my life to the alleviation of animal suffering in various parts of the world, it is my wish that, upon my death, my body be used to further that same goal. It is with this purpose in mind that I make the following directions and designations relating to the disposition of my final remains. I make these directions and designations after thorough consideration and pursuant to my firm belief in the purposes for which they are made.
1. Upon my death, it is my wish that my body be used in a manner that draws attention to needless animal suffering and exploitation. To accomplish this, I direct that my body be donated to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), 501 Front Street, Norfolk, Virginia 23510, to be used in whatever manner it chooses in order to accomplish the specified purpose, with the hope that most of my body will be put to use in the United States, with parts also dispatched to awaken the public consciousness of governments and citizens in the United Kingdom, where I was born, in India, my beloved childhood home, and in Canada, Germany and France.
2. While the final decision as to the use of my body remains with PETA, I make the following suggested directions:
a. That the “meat” of my body, or a portion thereof, be used for a human barbecue, to remind the world that the meat of a corpse is all flesh, regardless of whether it comes from a human being or another animal, and that flesh foods are not needed;
b. That my skin, or a portion thereof, be removed and made into leather products, such as purses, to remind the world that human skin and the skin of other animals is the same and that neither is “fabric” nor needed, and that some skin be tacked up outside the Indian Leather Fair each year to serve as a reminder of the government's need to abate the suffering of Indian bullocks who, after a life of extreme and involuntary servitude, as I have seen firsthand, are exported all over the world in this form;
c. That in remembrance of the elephant feet umbrella stands and tiger rugs I saw, when a child, offered for sale by merchants at Connaught Place in Delhi, my feet be removed and umbrella stands or other ornamentation be made from them, as a reminder of the depravity of killing innocent animals, such as elephants, in order that we might use their body parts for household items and decorations;
d. That one of my eyes be removed, mounted, and delivered to the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a reminder that PETA will continue to be watching the agency until it stops poisoning and torturing animals in useless and cruel experiments; that the other is to be used as PETA sees fit;
e. That my pointing finger be delivered to Kenneth Feld, owner of Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus or to a circus museum, to stand as the “Greatest Accusation on Earth” on behalf of the countless elephants, lions, tigers, bears and other animals who have been kidnapped from their families and removed from their homelands in India, Thailand, Africa and South America, and deprived of all that is natural and pleasant to them, abused and forced into involuntary servitude for the sake of cheap entertainment;
f. That my liver be vacuum-packed and shipped, in whole or part, to France, to there be used in a public appeal to persuade shoppers not to support the vile practice of force-feeding geese and ducks for foie gras;
g. That one of my ears be removed, mounted and sent to the Canadian Parliament to assist them in hearing, for the first time perhaps, the screams of the seals, bears, raccoons, foxes and mink bludgeoned, trapped and sometimes skinned alive for their pelts; that the other ear be removed, preserved and displayed outside the Deonar abattoir in Mumbai to remind all who do business there that the screams of the cattle who are slaughtered within its walls are heard around the world;
h. That one of my thumbs be removed, mounted upwards on a plaque and sent to the person or institution who, in the year of my death or thereabouts, PETA decides has done the most to promote alternatives to the use and abuse of animals in any area of their exploitation;
i. That one of my thumbs be mounted in a downward position and sent to the person or institution who, in the year of my death or thereabouts, has gone against the changing tide of societal opinion and frightened and hurt animals in some egregious manner;
j. That a little part of my heart be buried near the racetrack at Hockenheim, preferably near the Ferrari pits, where Michael Shumacher raced in and won the German Grand Prix;
k. That any other use be done that PETA believes will serve to draw attention to and so abate the plight of exploited animals.
3. As a resident of Virginia, and pursuant to Virginia law, including § 54.1-2825 of the Virginia Code, I designate PETA as the “person” who shall make arrangements for carrying out the directions contained in this document for the disposition of my remains upon my death. If, at any time, PETA is unable or unwilling to carry out these directions, I designate, in the alternative, Daniel Mathews as the individual who shall make arrangements for carrying out the directions contained in this document for the disposition of my remains upon my death. If Daniel Mathews is unable or unwilling to carry out these directions as required, I authorize either of the two listed “persons” in this paragraph to designate a third party to make arrangements for carrying out the directions contained in this document for the disposition of my remains upon my death.
4. While I prefer that my directions be first executed in the United States, I also direct that parts of my body be transported to the United Kingdom, of which I also am a citizen, and to India, my beloved spiritual home, to be executed there. If my directions cannot be executed in any of these countries, I authorize the transport of my remains to any location where my disposition directions, in whole or part, may be lawfully executed.
5. I authorize the person carrying out these directions to deviate from them in any manner he or she deems appropriate to further the purpose expressed herein. If any provision or provisions of this document shall be held to be invalid, illegal, unenforceable, or in conflict with the law of any jurisdiction, the validity, legality, and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.
| ______________________ |
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| INGRID NEWKIRK |
DATE |
NOTARY PUBLIC:
SIGN: ________________________ (SEAL)
WITNESSES
The foregoing document was published, declared, and signed by Ingrid Newkirk, in our presence, and we subscribe it in her presence, and in the presence of each other.
| ______________________ |
_______________ |
| WITNESS (SIGN) |
DATE |
______________________
WITNESS (PRINT)
| ______________________ |
_______________ |
| WITNESS (SIGN) |
DATE |
______________________
WITNESS (PRINT)
ACCEPTANCE BY DESIGNATED PERSONS
PETA
I have read and fully understand the contents of this document. I accept the designation as the person to carry out the directions set forth herein and will comply with those directions to the best of my ability.
For People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals:
| ______________________ |
_______________ |
MARY BETH SWEETLAND
Senior Vice President
PETA |
DATE |
NOTARY PUBLIC:
SIGN: ________________________ (SEAL)
DANIEL MATHEWS
I have read and fully understand the contents of this document. Should the conditions precedent be met, I accept the designation as the person to carry out the directions set forth herein and will comply with those directions to the best of my ability.
| ______________________ |
_______________ |
| DANIEL MATHEWS |
DATE |
NOTARY PUBLIC:
SIGN: ________________________ (SEAL)
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