It is hard to imagine working for PETA – day after day after day after day, you are witnessing video footage, still photographs, and written documentation about the horrors of animal abuse cases across the world. Even the most proud meat eater wouldn’t be able to handle watching these atrocities day after day. And yet Ingrid does it, without fail, as she explains throughout the film that she has always been drawn to help these animals. She tells a story about when she was a little girl, only eight years old, and she witnessed a man beating a bull out in the street, and how she ran out with such anger and actually made the man stop. Later in life she worked at an animal shelter, where she wanted to learn how to properly euthanize an animal, so that she could remove the pain from any sick or dying animal, and give them the respect she believes they deserve.

This isn’t to say that PETA is without controversy, as most people already have a vision in their mind about what the organization is all about. From their website, they state the following five areas that they believe in: animals are not ours to eat; animals are not ours to wear; animals are not ours to experiment on; animals are not ours to use for entertainment; and animals are not ours to abuse in any way. On the surface, I think that most people would agree with all of these beliefs, but if they were truly enacted, we would no longer have any meat or dairy consumption, no more fur coats or leather or suede or wool, no more lab mice or monkeys being worked on for research, no more circuses or zoos, and surely no more hunting or fishing. For someone like me, this reality doesn’t seem so bad, but I realize that I’m in the minority in this world.

Newkirk is almost an enigma on screen in “I Am An Animal” – she is filled with such passion and tenderness when it comes to her work, and yet she also seems incredibly lonely. She was raised by her mother, who she said didn’t show much affection and was an only child; her father had a mean temper, which she said she inherited; she had herself sterilized at a young age because she knew she didn’t want children; she was married years ago but essentially said her work became a bigger priority; she lives alone in a very barren apartment; she does not have any companion animals herself as she says she travels so much; she truly lives and breathes PETA. It is not just what she does, it is who she is.

Whether or not you agree with her beliefs, Newkirk is clearly an animal rights icon. PETA has brought the issue of animal welfare to the forefront for many people across the globe, and they have enacted numerous successful changes in the way animals all over are treated. I truly believe that if more people realized what really happens in order for you to enjoy that hamburger you so love and cherish, PETA would have a lot less work to do. This documentary is not only a must-see for animal lovers, but also for anyone who wants to open their minds and possibly learn a thing or two about the animal welfare movement.