SUFFOLK, Va. (Diya TV) — Poorva Joshipura, an Indian American animal rights activist, has been named the first-ever president of PETA International. This appointment marks a major milestone in the global animal rights movement. Joshipura will oversee PETA’s operations and projects in Europe, Asia, and parts of the Middle East.
Joshipura, raised in Suffolk, Virginia, has spent more than 25 years dedicated to advancing animal welfare. She began volunteering with PETA as a teenager. In 1999, she formally joined as an intern at the organization’s Norfolk, Virginia, headquarters. By age 23, she was working as a research associate for PETA US.
Her dedication stems from a powerful early experience. “Years ago, in a slaughterhouse where I was recording how badly cows are killed for leather, I locked eyes with a frightened calf pinned to the ground, aware of his pending death,” Joshipura said. “At that moment, I 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.”
Joshipura’s activism spans continents. She has staged demonstrations in New York, Delhi, and Nairobi. She has campaigned against the use of bulls for entertainment in India and protested cruel fur practices at major fashion shows. She also highlighted laboratory animal abuse in India to draw attention to unethical experiments on dogs and monkeys serving clients in North America.
As PETA International president, Joshipura plans to focus on technological and scientific innovation to reduce animal exploitation. She envisions replacing elephants chained in Asian temples with mechanical ones and using animatronic animals to educate children and nurture empathy toward animals.
Joshipura also aims to highlight the connection between animal exploitation and global issues such as pandemics, antibiotic resistance, and climate change. “I’m deeply honored to help shape the global future of animal liberation and put compassion on every map in my new role,” she said. “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.”
Joshipura has led efforts that changed corporate and government policies worldwide. She persuaded Mercedes-Benz to become the first auto retailer to offer leather-free interiors by special order. She helped stop a U.S.-based laboratory-animal supplier from opening a facility in Europe. She has also successfully lobbied to ban cosmetics testing on animals in India and end the use of horse-drawn carriages in Petra and Mumbai.
She is the author of two books. For a Moment of Taste exposes the treatment of animals used for meat, eggs, and dairy in India. Survival at Stake explores the link between human survival and the way society treats animals.
PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk welcomed Joshipura’s appointment. “Poorva has been an unstoppable force in the animal liberation movement,” Newkirk said. “Her extraordinary drive and determination are invaluable in extending our vital efforts to help animals everywhere.”
Joshipura has held leadership roles at PETA’s international branches, including PETA UK and PETA India. Her career includes working as director of PETA UK, senior vice president of international affairs for PETA Foundation UK, and chief executive officer of PETA India.
