PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) believes that animals and humans have equal moral worth, but at an animal shelter in Norfolk, Virginia, the Animals have been slaughtered. (As discussed here in 2009, this appears to include adoptable animals.)
Apparently, the situation has not improved in the years since. In 2023, his PETA kill rate was an astonishing 76 percent for dogs, 81 percent for cats, and 78 percent for all animals in captivity. In comparison, all public agencies in Virginia euthanized 9 percent of dogs, 11 percent of cats, and 10 percent of all animals.
Why is that? PETA says most of its animals are not suitable for adoption. But I suspect it has more to do with an absolutist animal rights ideology that perceives human ownership of livestock to be akin to slavery and therefore a source of suffering. As a result, PETA's leadership may believe that some animals would be better off dead than adopted into non-vegan homes or homes that do not support the organization's animal rights philosophy.
Cross-posted to National Review.
