From Intern to President: Poorva Joshipura Spreads Jivdaya to the World as New President of PETA International
Poorva Joshipura, former Senior Vice President of International Affairs for PETA Foundation UK and member of the board of directors for PETA India, has spent more than half of her life working to end animal exploitation through thought-provoking protests, undercover investigations, and work in courts as well as corporate and government offices. She has now been appointed the first-ever President of PETA International—a new operational arm spanning PETA entity projects and operations in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Having worked and lived on three different continents, Joshipura firmly believes Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (“the world is one family”), and that includes animals.
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Born in the US to parents from Gujarat, India, Joshipura was raised in the US state of Virginia and graduated magna cum laude from Old Dominion University with a degree in psychology. She authored the books For a Moment of Taste: How What You Eat Impacts Animals, the Planet, and Your Health—the first-ever in-depth exposé of how animals commonly used for meat, eggs, and dairy are treated in India—as well as Survival at Stake: How Our Treatment of Animals Is Key to Human Existence both published by HarperCollins India. Today, she is based in London.
Jacqueline Fernandez at Vegan India Conference 2024 with Poorva’s book ‘Survival at Stake: How Our Treatment of Animals is Key to Human Existence’
Joshipura brings more than 25 years of experience to the role since joining PETA US in 1999 as an intern and rising to become its Research Associate at just 23 years of age. She is known for devising effective campaigns from the boardroom to the street. Just last week, Joshipura was ‘experimented on’ in Delhi in a public display against animal abuse inside Palamur Biosciences, a contract laboratory serving foreign clients. She has even been jailed for disrupting a Michael Kors fashion show in New York in protest of the designer’s cruel use of fur – which he later banned, and has personally conducted undercover investigations of slaughterhouses, laboratories, and other houses of horrors where animals are abused, exploited, or killed.
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Poorva protesting fur in Norway, where fur farming is now banned
Poorva urging passers-by to try to relate to the fate of animals used for meat
A ‘bloodied’ and ‘skinned’ Poorva condemns cruelty to reptiles for Hermès handbag
Poorva being ‘experimented on’ in Delhi, calling for the release of beagles and other animals from Palamur Biosciences
“Years ago, in a slaughterhouse where I was recording how badly cows are killed for leather, I locked eyes with a frightened calf who was pinned to the ground aware of his pending death, and at that moment vowed to dedicate my life to animal liberation. For more than 25 years with PETA entities – from undercover investigator to leading international campaigns – I’ve been true to that pledge.” – Poorva Joshipura
Joshipura plans to use cultural intelligence formed from extensive international experience and values of compassion for animals from her Indian heritage to oversee and invigorate global campaigns. Her priorities include using technology and innovation to eliminate animal exploitation, including replacing elephants chained in Asian temples with mechanical ones, and using robotic talking animals to educate children about the vital importance of practicing kindness to all. She plans to not only promote animal rights as a moral imperative, but one critical to human survival by highlighting how major crises like the climate catastrophe, antibiotic resistance, and pandemics are inextricably linked to our treatment of them.
Poorva giving Hero to Animals award to Dia Mirza for depicting the rescue of a homeless dog in the movie Love Breakups Zindagi
“I’m deeply honored to help shape the global future of animal rights and put compassion—rooted in India’s ethos of ahimsa—at the heart of every map. I will seek to harness technological solutions for animal protection, apply cultural intelligence to advance liberation, and promote the unshakable truth that how we treat animals defines us.” – Poorva Joshipura
Joshipura’s many achievements over the years include stopping a US-based laboratory-animal supplier from setting up a facility in Europe and convincing Mercedes-Benz to be the first car retailer to agree to offer leather-free interior by special order (now Renault is phasing out animal leather and vegan leather comes as standard in many electric cars) and leading successful efforts for a ban on testing cosmetics and their ingredients on animals in India; ending the use of horse-drawn carriages in Petra and Mumbai; and achieving an Indian Supreme Court ban on the use of bulls for entertainment – for which she was burned in effigy by frenzied proponents of the cruel “game” jallikattu – a prohibition which remains in place in most of the country.
Poorva examining a donkey in need of help and used for rides at Petra, Jordan
Poorva in conversation with Jism2’s team who helped bring in the ban on horse-drawn carriages in Mumbai
“From Manchester to Mumbai, Poorva has been an unstoppable force in the animal liberation movement,” says Founder of PETA entities worldwide Ingrid Newkirk, who grew up in Delhi. “Her extraordinary drive and determination is invaluable in extending our vital efforts to help animals everywhere.”
Poorva brushing rescued camel Sameer to calm him after rescue from a circus
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