Ingrid Newkirk hopes to provoke a conversation with the will, saying that even in death, she will continue to 'campaign against animal abuse'
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In an unusual form of animal activism, the founder of animal rights charity PETA has revealed she has written a new will, leaving parts of her body to people and organisations involved in various activities involving the use of animals.
Among Ingrid Newkirk’s bequeathments, she has left an eyeball to the Home Office, a piece of her neck to King Charles, and some of her bare skin to the Ministry of Defence.
According to Ingrid, her unconventional plans for her earthly remains ensure she can “prolong her animal protection activism long after her death”.
The will and testament is updated from the original document she wrote 20 years ago, which she drafted while on a plane that encountered wind shear and was forced to make an emergency landing.
Ingrid Newkirk’s original will
In that document, she also left body parts to various organisations, however, she has been able to make some changes.
This, she says, is thanks to PETA ‘winning so many victories for animals’ in the intervening years, meaning some of her original bequeathments have been rendered redundant.
For example, in her first will, Ingrid left her index finger to Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the world’s longest running and largest circus.
She said the action would serve as the ‘Greatest Accusation on Earth’, but now the organisation has ditched animal acts, it will no longer be the chosen recipient of the gruesome pledge.
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Gruesome updates to the will
The new will features a list of bequeathments. According to Ingrid Newkirk, she is leaving an eyeball to the Home Office so it knows PETA will be “constantly watching until the department stops green-lighting crude experiments on animals”.
Meanwhile, King Charles will be bequeathed a piece of her neck “if he has failed to cut ties with pigeon racing, since the necks of ‘losing’ birds are often wrung after enduring cross-Channel and other races”.
Another royal, King Felipe of Spain, has been singled out as the desired recipient of an ear. This is in protest of bullfighting, in which the matador often cuts off the bull’s ears as a trophy.
To highlight the use of bear skin in King’s Guard’s caps, when faux fur is readily available, some of her bare skin has been earmarked for the Ministry of Defence.
A piece of heart, her broken leg, and her trachea
Animal experiments carried out by Elon Musk have earned the billionaire the promise of a piece of her heart, so he can “clone [it] for himself, since his cruel and deadly Neuralink brain experiments on monkeys, pigs, rats, and sheep indicate that he doesn’t have one”.
Other beneficiaries are the Grand National, who she says should receive a leg of hers, which has been broken, to be displayed at Aintree “to draw attention to the horses who have sustained catastrophic injuries in races”.
Meanwhile, the administrators of the world’s largest dog show, Crufts, should be sent her trachea because the show “promotes the breeding of breathing-impaired breeds, whose shortened airways leave them gasping and panting when they try to run, play, or even walk”.
And her intestines should be sent to chef Nusret Gökçe, aka Salt Bae, to use as sausage casings in his meat-focused restaurants, to make him rethink whom he is serving up, says Ingrid.
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Ingrid Newkirk dedicated to ‘campaigning against animal abuse’
Speaking about her last will and testament in a statement, Ingrid Newkirk said: “On his deathbed, they asked Bob Hope where he wanted to be buried and he replied, ‘Surprise me’.
“In my case, when I die, I hope to keep on surprising those who harm animals, provoking conversation about speciesism, and campaigning against animal abuse.”
Among the directions from her original will that remain, are curing some of her skin to create a leather belt and purse and burying a piece of her heart at Silverstone to honour vegan racing champ Lewis Hamilton.
Ingrid also left in a direction to saw off a foot to make into an umbrella stand like those made from elephants’ feet that she saw while growing up in India.
She has also left in her will plans to send Bruno and Rupert, the teddy bears she’s had since she was a baby, to an orphanage in India.
There are many ways to be a vegan advocate. Get inspired with our guide to 8 Ways To Help Animals
Featured image © PETA
