From an early age, Pacheco was
outraged by social injustice, and
very motivated to fight against it.
He grew up in the Midwest,
watching the Vietnam War on television and becoming
passionate about defending
democracy against communism.
​​
Too young to enlist and
in high school, he wrote
to the CIA asking if he
could become an agent.
​They wrote back saying he
was too young and don’t call us,
we’ll call you.
​
He then applied to the FBI
and was accepted to work
at FBI headquarters
in Washington, D.C.
​
Just days before leaving for
Washington, he was talked
out of it by his two mentors,
Father Thomas and martial arts
expert Steve Adams.
​
It was the year of The Concert
for Bangladesh, and they
convinced him to instead
pursue his other passion:
helping impoverished children.
​​
Accordingly, he enrolled in the
Scholastic Program for
Ecclesiastical Students
and for the next year
studied to become a priest
while living with three priests
and seven brothers.
​​
After a year in the Ecclesiastical
Program, he took a
behind-the-scenes tour
of a large slaughterhouse,
where his passion for
defending animals
was unleashed.
Witnessing the brutality firsthand,
he dedicated himself to defending
the most helpless of all,
and within days he founded
the activist organization The
Ohio Animal Rights Committee
at Ohio State University,​ and in
the first month he received
his first three death threats
from trappers and hunters.
​
Since then, his commitment
to defending animals has incited
violent opposition in many
shapes and sizes, from a man
waving a loaded .44 handgun
and screaming for Pacheco while
in the PETA office, to anonymous
packages mailed to Pacheco,
containing the blood-soaked
body parts of mutilated animals.
​​
Over the years he has received
so many death threats in the
line of duty that he stopped
counting early on.
​​
In 1979 Pacheco left college
to work as a crew member aboard the Sea Shepherd under Captain Paul Watson on the Sea Shepherd’s
first whale protection campaign.
​​
Sailing across the Atlantic Ocean,
their mission was to ram
the world’s most notorious
pirate whale-killing ship,
the Sierra.​
Before embarking on the voyage
and in anticipation of the ramming,
the bow of the Sea Shepherd
was fortified with tons of
concrete.
​
In the end, both ships were sunk
in Portuguese waters.
​
Prior to the sinking and while the
crew was still in Portugal,
Portuguese authorities confiscated
the passports of Watson,
Pacheco and a few
others to prevent them
from leaving the country,
pending possible prosecution.
​​
To avoid capture by the Portuguese Border Patrol and under the cover of night, Pacheco swam across the
border into Spain, hitchhiked to
Madrid and spent three days in
the Madrid airport waiting for a
passport and a ticket to London,
where he then worked with Ronnie
Lee, founder of the underground
Animal Liberation Front.
​​
Pacheco was later named
Sea Shepherd’s
Crew Member of the Year.
​​
​While in England, Pacheco
also worked with the British
Hunt Saboteurs Association,
disrupting hunts and physically
clashing with up to 40 hunters
at a time, who hunted from
horseback and used whips
to strike the saboteurs; some
saboteurs were scarred for life
with whip scars across
their entire face.
​​
When Pacheco’s visa expired,
he returned to the U.S.
and moved to Washington, D.C.
to become a lobbyist for animals,
where he also organized the first
animal rights civil disobedience
training sessions in the U.S.
​​
In 1980 he co-founded PETA
and for 20 years served as PETA's Chairman of the Board, specializing
in undercover investigations,
litigation and lobbying, before
leaving in 2000.
Meet the Founder
​
Alex Pacheco is often described
as the Father of the Modern Day
Animal Rights Movement
in the United States.
​
As co-founder of both
the world’s largest animal rights
organization (PETA) and the
world’s largest non-profit
animal adoption organization
(Adopt-A-Pet), his 30-year
track record of victories for
animals is arguably unequaled.
​
He has received many awards,
ranging from induction into the
Animal Rights Hall of Fame
to The Peace Abbey
Courage of Conscience Award,
though his favorite is being voted
Crew Member of the Year
by the Sea Shepherd.
Meet the Founder
​
Alex Pacheco is often described as the
Father of the Modern Day Animal Rights Movement
in the United States.
​
As co-founder of both the world’s largest
animal rights organization (PETA) and the
world’s largest non-profit animal adoption
organization (Adopt-A-Pet), his 30-year track
record of victories for animals
is arguably unequaled.
​
He has received many awards, ranging from
induction into the Animal Rights Hall of Fame
to The Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award,
though his favorite is being voted
Crew Member of the Year by the Sea Shepherd.
From an early age, Pacheco was outraged by
social injustice, and very motivated to fight
against it. He grew up in the Midwest, watching the
Vietnam War on television and becoming passionate
about defending democracy against communism.
​
Too young to enlist and in high school,
he wrote to the CIA asking if he could become
an agent. They wrote back saying he was too
young and don’t call us, we’ll call you.
​
He then applied to the FBI and was accepted
to work at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C.
​
Just days before leaving for Washington,
he was talked out of it by his two mentors,
Father Thomas and martial arts expert Steve Adams.
​
It was the year of The Concert for Bangladesh,
and they convinced him to instead pursue his other
passion: helping impoverished children.
​
Accordingly, he enrolled in the Scholastic Program
for Ecclesiastical Students and for the next year
studied to become a priest while living with
three priests and seven brothers.
​
After one year in the Ecclesiastical Program,
he took a behind-the-scenes tour of a large
slaughterhouse, where his passion for defending
animals was unleashed.
Witnessing the brutality firsthand, he dedicated himself
to defending the most helpless of all, and within days
he founded the activist organization The Ohio Animal
Rights Committee at Ohio State University,
and in the first month he received his first three
death threats from trappers and hunters.
​
Since then his commitment to defending animals
has incited violent opposition and death threats
in many shapes and sizes, from an angry man waving
a loaded .44 handgun and screaming for Pacheco while in
the PETA office, to anonymous packages mailed to
Pacheco, containing written death threats atop
the blood-soaked body parts of mutilated animals.
​
Over the years he has received so many death threats
in the line of duty that he stopped counting early on.
​
In 1979 Pacheco left college to work as a crew member
aboard the Sea Shepherd under Captain Paul Watson
on the Sea Shepherd’s first whale protection campaign.
​
Sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, their mission
was to ram the world’s most notorious pirate
whale-killing ship, the Sierra.
Before embarking on the voyage and
in anticipation of the ramming,
the bow of the Sea Shepherd was fortified
with tons of concrete.
​
In the end, both ships were sunk in Portuguese waters.
​
Prior to the sinking and while the crew was still in
Portugal, Portuguese authorities confiscated the passports
of Watson, Pacheco and a few others to prevent them
from leaving the country, pending possible prosecution.
​
To avoid capture by the Portuguese Border Patrol
and under the cover of night, Pacheco swam
across the border into Spain, hitchhiked to Madrid
and spent three days in an airport
waiting for a passport and a ticket to London,
where he then worked with Ronnie Lee,
founder of the underground Animal Liberation Front.
​
Pacheco was later named Sea Shepherd’s
Crew Member of the Year.
​
While in England, Pacheco also worked with the
British Hunt Saboteurs Association, disrupting hunts
and physically clashing with up to 40 hunters at a time,
who hunted from horseback and used whips
to strike the saboteurs; some saboteurs were
scarred for life with whip scars across their entire face.
​
When Pacheco’s visa expired, he returned to the U.S.
and moved to Washington, D.C. to become a lobbyist
for animals, where he also organized the first animal
rights civil disobedience training sessions in the U.S.
​
In 1980 he co-founded PETA and for 20 years
served as Chairman of the Board,
specializing in undercover investigations, litigation
and lobbying, before leaving in 2000.
The campaign brought to an
end the era of little old ladies
in tennis shoes, transforming
animal lovers into activists and
producing an explosion in the
birth of animal organizations.
​
The case also spawned the
birth of anti-animal-protection
organizations such as the
National Association for
Biomedical Research, which
is comprised of major drug
companies, federal government
agencies and major universities,
with membership fees exceeding
$100,000 annually. ​
​
The campaign also led to the
American Medical Association
commissioning a study by
Harvard University on
how to defeat the animal rights
movement. The study described
Pacheco as "a national folk hero
to the animal rights movement."
​​
In 1989, a secret Animal Research
Action Plan by the American
Medical Association called for
divide-and-conquer tactics to
counter PETA and other animal
groups.
​​
After the plan was leaked,
the AMA publicly acknowledged
their plan and boasted about
budgeting $21million to
carry it out.
​​
The Silver Spring Monkey
campaign fueled an
unprecedented amount
of activism and a flood of
national media, with activities
ranging from illegal break-ins
into animal laboratories,
to peaceful protests
and civil disobedience
which continued to rise
for almost two decades.
​​
​In the process, Pacheco was
arrested over 60 times.​
​
Spearheaded by Pacheco,
the campaign produced
numerous precedents,
including:
​​
The first and only
laboratory animal case
to reach the U.S. Supreme
Court.
​​
The first and only arrest
of an animal experimenter
for cruelty to animals.
​​
The first and only
criminal prosecution
and conviction of an
animal experimenter
on charges of cruelty.
​​
The first termination
of a federal research grant
because of cruelty and
violations of federal
guidelines.
​​
The first and only
confiscation of animals
from a laboratory.
​​
Introduction of federal
legislation, signed
by over 100 members
of Congress, to force
the federal government
to terminate funding
for the laboratory
and to release the
Silver Spring Monkeys.
​​
In addition, fifty-five U.S.
senators, ranging from
Senators Jesse Helms and
Barry Goldwater to
Senator Ted Kennedy, signed
a joint statement calling
on the government
to terminate funding
for the laboratory,
end the experiments
and free the monkeys.
​​
Pacheco was called
to testify as the lead witness
before Congressional
Hearings by the U.S.
House Subcommittee
on Science, Research
and Technology.
​​
He was called to testify
as the star witness
for the State of Maryland
in the criminal trial
and prosecution of
animal experimenter
Dr. Taub, in State of
Maryland vs.
Dr. Edward Taub.
​​
The campaign paved
the way for the passage
of federal animal
protection legislation
– the 1985 Amendments
to the Federal Animal
Welfare Act.
​​
In 1991 the U.S. Supreme Court
ruled against the Silver Spring
Monkeys, and in defiance of
Congress the NIH immediately
killed half of the surviving
monkeys and the conflict
continued.
Apart from the Silver
Spring Monkey case,
while Chairman of PETA,
some of Pacheco’s
most significant
accomplishments came
from the wide range of
roles he played in helping
convince many of the
world’s largest corporations
to dramatically improve
their policies
concerning animals.
​
From leading a high-profile
three-year successful
campaign against the
world’s largest corporation
at the time, General Motors --
in which Pacheco
destroyed his own
GM car by setting it afire
in public during a press
conference in downtown
D.C. -- to his undercover
work in the Texas oil fields
owned by Exxon, his
track record of victories
for animals is remarkable.
During his tenure, the
New York Times described PETA
as the mover and shaker
of the Animal Rights Movement,​
and the organization became
a household name
to the point where an envelope
with nothing more than
"PETA" written on it
can be dropped into a mailbox
and it will still be successfully
delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.
​​
The legacy of his leadership
has contributed to the continuing
success of the organization,
which currently has over 6 million
members and annual revenues
exceeding $55 million.
​​
Within months of founding PETA, Pacheco began working
undercover in a federally
funded animal research facility
in Silver Spring, Maryland,
less than 10 miles
from the White House.
​​
For four months
he gathered evidence
of cruelty to animals and
compelled the Montgomery
County, Maryland Police
Department and the District
Attorney’s Office to take legal
action, with Pacheco leading
law enforcement agents
into the laboratory,
carrying out the world’s first,
and to this day only,
police raid on an
animal laboratory.
​​
Unprecedented, the raid
was covered on the
front page of the
Washington Post and
broadcast nationwide
on ABC World News.
​​
It was soon covered
on the front pages of
every major newspaper
in the U.S., often several times,
from the Wall Street Journal
and the New York Times
to the Soviet Union’s
largest newspaper Tass,
including coverage by
every U.S. television network.
During his tenure, the New York Times described PETA
as the mover and shaker of the Animal Rights Movement,
and the organization became a household name
to the point where an envelope with nothing more
than “PETA” written on it can be dropped into a mailbox
and it will still be successfully delivered
by the U.S. Postal Service.
​
The legacy of his leadership has contributed
to the continuing success of the organization,
which currently has over 6 million members
and annual revenues exceeding $55 million.
​
Within months of founding PETA,
Pacheco began working undercover in a
federally funded animal research facility in Silver Spring,
Maryland, less than 10 miles from the White House.
​
For four months he gathered evidence of cruelty
to animals and compelled the Montgomery County,
Maryland Police Department and the District Attorney’s Office
to take legal action, with Pacheco leading law enforcement agents
into the laboratory, carrying out the world’s first,
and to this day only, police raid on an animal laboratory.
​
Unprecedented, the raid was covered on the
front page of the Washington Post and
broadcast nationwide on ABC World News.
​
It was soon covered on the front pages of
every major newspaper in the U.S., often several times,
from the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times
to the Soviet Union’s largest newspaper Tass,
including coverage by every U.S. television network.
Of course there was retaliation
for closing the laboratory,
and HHS Secretary Heckler
paid the price with her job.
​​
Angered leaders of the
biomedical community pressured President Reagan, who in turn unceremoniously removed
Secretary Heckler from her
position as head of HHS (an agency
with the third-largest budget on
earth) and sent her to Ireland,
demoting and appointing her
as the new U.S. Ambassador
to Ireland.
​​
In 2002, Pacheco continued
to revolutionize the world of
animal rights by co-founding
Adopt-A-Pet.
At one point, the front page
of the Wall Street Journal
reported that the three topics
the White House had received
the most calls and letters
about during that week were
the war, unemployment, and
the Silver Spring Monkeys.
When photographs taken
by Pacheco were broadcast,
showing severely mutilated
laboratory primates,
the case sent shock waves
through the biomedical
community worldwide.
​
Known as The Silver Spring
Monkeys Case, it generated
a political and social battle
that was fought in
Congress, in the courts, in the national media and in the streets, with Pacheco spearheading a 15-year campaign against the laboratory’s funding agency,
the National Institutes of Health, over the fate of the
laboratory primates.
​
The Washington Post wrote:
The case ignited widespread
public debate on the ethical
issues of animal research.
It also turned Alex Pacheco
into a public figure
and helped make PETA
the largest, the most
powerful -- and the most
feared -- animal rights group
in America.
​
The New York Times described
it as the nation's best-known
animal rights case.
​​
Filmmaker Oliver Stone, in
the forward to the book
Monkey Business: the
Disturbing Case that
Launched the Animal Rights
Movement, wrote ...
​
Out of the sad saga of the
Silver Spring Monkeys grew
one of the most important
social movements of our time.
Successfully targeted
companies include
multi-billion-dollar companies
such as Phillips Petroleum,
Shell Oil, Gillette, L’Oreal,
Revlon and Avon, to
smaller companies such as
Benetton, Tonka, Mattel,
Hasbro, Amway, Kenner,
Mary Kay and others.
​
In 1983, Pacheco went
to work armed and undercover
in Waco, Texas, closing down
the largest horse slaughter
operation in the world,
where over 30,000 horses
suffered.
​​
Working under dangerous
conditions, he was repeatedly
threatened and shot at by
horse ranchers and openly
pursued by the Waco County
Sheriff and sheriff’s deputies,
who attempted to arrest
Pacheco on numerous
occasions.
​​
The threats against him
by armed ranchers
reached the point where
Pacheco’s supporters
hired bodyguards for him,
with the first two
sets of bodyguards quitting,
saying it wasn’t worth the risk.
​​
In the resulting Waco, Texas,
horse slaughter case, a
special prosecutor was
appointed, who convened
a grand jury, which in turn
subpoenaed Pacheco,
with the sheriff then arresting
Pacheco, charging him with
felonies ranging from
horse-theft to impersonating
a federal officer.
​​
Legendary criminal defense
attorney Richard "Racehorse"
Haynes came to Pacheco’s
defense, representing Pacheco
before the grand jury and
successfully defending him
against all criminal charges.
​​
In the end, the world’s largest
horse-slaughter company
was permanently closed.
​​
Pacheco then began
undercover work
in a Defense Department
research facility, which
resulted in a direct order
by U.S. Secretary of Defense
Caspar Weinberger, covered on
the front page of the
Washington Post,
permanently closing down
the Pentagon Wound Laboratory,
where dogs and other animals
were being shot in underground firing ranges to test new weapons
and bullets.
​​
Unsatisfied, Pacheco led additional protests against
the D.O.D. until the
Secretary Weinberger
issued a second order,
ordering that no dogs or cats
are to ever be used again,
in any military ballistics training
or research, by the U.S.
Defense Department.
​​
Soon afterwards, the
underground Animal Liberation
Front raided the Head Injury
Laboratory at the University
of Pennsylvania, removing
60 hours of videotape
recordings of severe
brain damage experiments
being performed on live
baboons and taped by the experimenters themselves.
​​
A copy of the videos ended up in Pacheco’s possession, and from
them he made the 30-minute
documentary Unnecessary Fuss,
showing university doctors
committing violations of
federal law while violently
scrambling the brains
of live baboons.
​
A grand jury was
convened to investigate the
theft of federal property (the
videotapes), and while Pacheco
was holding a news conference
to call attention to violations
at the university, he was subpoenaed
by federal agents.
​​
In return, Pacheco led
over 100 activists in an
orchestrated occupation
and surprise takeover
of 15 federal offices
at the headquarters
of the National
Institutes of Health,
the federal agency
funding the university experiments.
​​
The occupation lasted four days,
generating national media
and substantial involvement
by members of Congress.
​​
On the fourth day of the
occupation, Pacheco met
in secret in a stairwell of
the occupied offices
with the Chief of Staff
for the U.S. Secretary
of Health and Human Services,
Margaret Heckler,
to broker a deal in which
Secretary Heckler
publicly announced
the termination of
the $14 million Head Injury
Laboratory at the University
of Pennsylvania.
At one point, the front page of the Wall Street Journal
reported that the three topics the White House had
received the most calls and letters about during
that week were the war, unemployment, and
the Silver Spring Monkeys.
​
When photographs taken by Pacheco were broadcast,
showing severely mutilated laboratory primates,
the case sent shock waves through the biomedical
community worldwide.
​
Known as The Silver Spring Monkeys Case,
it generated a political and social battle that was fought
in Congress, in the courts, in the national media and
in the streets, with Pacheco spearheading a 15-year
campaign against the laboratory’s funding agency,
the National Institutes of Health, over the fate of the
laboratory primates.
​
The Washington Post wrote: The case ignited widespread
public debate on the ethical issues of animal research.
It also turned Alex Pacheco into a public figure
and helped make PETA the largest, the most powerful --
and the most feared -- animal rights group in America.
​
The New York Times described it as the nation's
best-known animal rights case.
​
Filmmaker Oliver Stone, in the forward to the book
Monkey Business: the Disturbing Case
that Launched the Animal Rights Movement, wrote ...
​
Out of the sad saga of the Silver Spring Monkeys grew
one of the most important social movements
of our time.
The campaign brought to an end the era of
little old ladies in tennis shoes, transforming animal lovers
into activists and producing an explosion
in the birth of animal rights organizations.
The case also spawned the birth of anti-animal-protection
organizations such as the National Association for
Biomedical Research, which is comprised of major
drug companies, federal government agencies
and major universities, with membership fees
exceeding $100,000 annually.
​​
The campaign also led to the American Medical Association
commissioning a study by Harvard University on
how to defeat the animal rights movement.
The study described Pacheco as “a national folk hero
to the animal rights movement.”
​​
In 1989, a secret Animal Research Action Plan
by the American Medical Association
called for divide-and-conquer tactics
to counter PETA and other animal groups.
​​
After the plan was leaked, the AMA publicly
acknowledged their plan and boasted
about budgeting $21 million to carry it out.
​​
The Silver Spring Monkey campaign
fueled an unprecedented amount of activism
and a flood of national media, with activities
ranging from illegal break-ins into animal laboratories,
to peaceful protests and civil disobedience
which continued to rise for almost two decades.
​​
In the process, Pacheco was arrested over 60 times.
​
Spearheaded by Pacheco, the campaign produced
numerous precedents, including:
​​
The first and only laboratory animal case
to reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
​​
The first and only arrest of an animal experimenter
for cruelty to animals.
​​
The first and only criminal prosecution and conviction
of an animal experimenter on charges of cruelty.
​​
The first termination of a federal research grant
because of cruelty.
​​
The first and only confiscation of animals from a laboratory.
​​
Introduction of federal legislation, signed by over 100
members of Congress, to force the federal government
to terminate funding for the laboratory
and to release the Silver Spring Monkeys.
In addition, fifty-five U.S. senators, ranging from
Senator Jesse Helms and Senator Barry Goldwater
to Senator Ted Kennedy, signed a joint statement
calling on the government to terminate funding
for the laboratory, end the experiments
and free the Silver Spring Monkeys.
​​
Pacheco was called to testify as the lead witness
before Congressional Hearings by the U.S. House
Subcommittee on Science, Research and Technology.
He was called to testify as the star witness
for the State of Maryland in the criminal trial
and prosecution of animal experimenter Dr. Taub,
in State of Maryland vs. Dr. Edward Taub.
The campaign paved the way for passage
of federal animal protection legislation
– the 1985 Amendments to the Federal
Animal Welfare Act.
​​
In 1991 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against
the Silver Spring Monkeys, and in defiance of Congress
the NIH immediately killed half of the surviving monkeys
and the conflict continued.
Apart from the Silver Spring Monkey case,
while Chairman of PETA, some of Pacheco’s
most significant accomplishments came from
the wide range of roles he played in helping convince
many of the world’s largest corporations to
dramatically improve their policies concerning animals.
​
From leading a high-profile three-year successful campaign
against the world’s largest corporation at the time,
General Motors -- in which Pacheco destroyed his own GM car
by setting it afire in public during a press conference
in downtown D.C. -- to his undercover work in the
Texas oil fields owned by Exxon, his track record of
victories for animals is remarkable.
Free to over 17,000 humane
societies, animal rescue
organizations and the public,
its website hosts over 100,000
adoptable animals nationwide
that are viewable and searchable online, with over 48 million website
visitors annually.
​​
It is likely that Adopt-A-Pet
is responsible for the adoption
of more animals than any
other non-profit in the world.
​​
In 2010 Pacheco founded
600 Million Stray Dogs Need You
with the mission to develop
safe veterinary formulas
to permanently end
the number one cause of
suffering and death for dogs
and cats worldwide --
dog and cat overpopulation.
​​
The first formulas in
development are Spay
and Neuter Cookies, which
are being designed
to safely sterilize strays --
without surgery.
​​
The objective is to
end the cycle of suffering
for the tens of millions of
stray cats in the U.S. and
end the cycle of suffering
for the 600 million stray dogs
worldwide, who give birth
to over one billion stray pups
each year.
​​
The organization is also
dedicated to alleviating the
plight of the 15 million people
who have to be treated for
rabies each year, and
preventing the deaths of the
59,000 people who die from
rabies each year.
​​
The World Health Organization
reports that over 95%
of all people who die from rabies
receive their fatal infections
from one source: stray dogs.
​​
Though Pacheco co-founded
PETA at the age of 21 with
no money, no staff, no training,
no college degree and no
business experience,
he nonetheless played a
central role in raising
more than $128 million
in donations for animal
protection while living
a near possession-less life.
​​
From the first five years of
PETA when he worked without
pay, often sleeping under his
desk in a sleeping bag,
Pacheco’s commitment
has not wavered.
​​
His work has often
been dangerous,
he has come to live with
threats against his life
by the abusers he exposes,
and he's been shot at numerous
times and arrested over sixty.
​​
He's been subpoenaed
many times by the FBI and
federal grand juries,
while animal experimenters
have put warning posters
on their laboratory walls with
his photograph, saying ...​
Warning –
If you see this man
call security.
​​
Described by those
close to him as a
modern-day Spartan
because of his Franciscan,
non-materialistic philosophy,
Pacheco remains an
innovator and, above all,
perhaps the world’s
preeminent defender
of animal rights.
** Much was written regarding
the Silver Spring Monkey
campaign, including ...
​​
“Pacheco shocked the nation
into awareness of animal abuse
in the realm of science … with
the first laboratory animal case
argued before the U.S.
Supreme Court”
– Publishers Weekly.
​​
“The modern anti-vivisection
movement began in 1980
with the Silver Spring Monkey
case.”
– Dr. Murry Cohen.
​​
“Pacheco is widely considered
the founder of the modern
Animal Rights Movement.”
– Dr. Andrew Kirschner.
​​
"Until 1981, it didn't occur
to most folks that animals --
from mice to dogs to chimps --
might be abused in scientific
laboratories.
Then came Alex Pacheco ... "
- Philadelphia Inquirer.
​
“This landmark case …
filled a newly discovered void
in the American conscience."
– Booklist.
​​
“The most famous laboratory
animals in history.”
– Author Kathy Snow Guillermo.
​​
“The ensuing battle
over the monkeys’ custody
saw celebrities and politicians
campaign for the monkeys’
release, an amendment in 1985
to the Animal Welfare Act,
the transformation of PETA
from a group of friends
into a national movement,
the creation of the first
North American Animal
Liberation Front cell
and the first animal research case
to reach the U.S. Supreme Court.”
– Wikipedia.
Successfully targeted companies include
multi-billion-dollar companies such as Phillips Petroleum,
Shell Oil, Gillette, L’Oreal, Revlon and Avon,
to smaller companies such as Benetton,
Tonka, Mattel, Hasbro, Amway, Kenner,
Mary Kay and others.
​
In 1983, Pacheco went to work armed and undercover
in Waco, Texas, closing down the largest horse slaughter
operation in the world, where over 30,000 horses suffered.
Working under dangerous conditions,
he was repeatedly threatened and shot at
by horse ranchers and publicly pursued
by the County Sheriff and sheriff’s deputies,
who attempted to arrest Pacheco on numerous occasions.
​
The threats against him by armed ranchers
reached the point where Pacheco’s supporters
hired bodyguards for him, with the first two sets
of bodyguards quitting, saying it wasn’t worth the risk.
​
In the resulting Waco, Texas, horse slaughter case,
a special prosecutor was appointed, who convened
a grand jury, which in turn subpoenaed Pacheco,
with the sheriff then arresting Pacheco,
charging him with felonies ranging from
horse-theft to impersonating a federal officer.
​
Legendary criminal defense attorney
Richard “Racehorse” Haynes came to Pacheco’s defense,
representing Pacheco before the grand jury
and successfully defending him against all criminal charges.
​
In the end, the world’s largest horse-slaughter company
was permanently closed.
​
Pacheco then began undercover work in a
Defense Department research facility,
which resulted in a direct order by U.S. Secretary of Defense
Caspar Weinberger, covered on the front page of the
Washington Post, permanently closing down
the Pentagon’s Wound Laboratory,
where dogs and other animals were being shot
in underground firing ranges to test new weapons and bullets.
​
Unsatisfied, Pacheco led continued protests
against the D.O.D. until Secretary Weinberger issued
a second order, ordering that no dogs or cats
are to ever be used again, in any military ballistics training
or research, by the U.S. Defense Department.
​
Soon afterwards, the underground Animal Liberation Front
raided the Head Injury Laboratory at the University
of Pennsylvania, removing 60 hours of videotape recordings
of severe brain damage experiments being
performed on live baboons and videotaped
by the experimenters themselves.
​
A copy of the videos ended up in Pacheco’s possession,
and from them he made the 30-minute documentary
Unnecessary Fuss, showing university doctors
committing violations of federal law
while violently scrambling the brains of live baboons.
​
A grand jury was convened to investigate the theft
of federal property (the videotapes), and while Pacheco
was holding a news conference to call attention
to violations at the university, he was subpoenaed
by undercover agents.
In return, Pacheco led over 100 activists
in an orchestrated occupation and surprise takeover
of 15 federal offices at the headquarters
of the National Institutes of Health, the federal agency
funding the university experiments.
​
The occupation lasted four days,
generating national media and substantial
involvement by members of Congress.
On the fourth day of the occupation,
Pacheco met in secret in a stairwell
of the occupied offices with the Chief of Staff
for the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services,
Margaret Heckler, to broker a deal
in which Secretary Heckler publicly announced
the termination of the $14 million Head Injury Laboratory
at the University of Pennsylvania.
Of course there was retaliation for closing the laboratory,
and HHS Secretary Heckler paid the price with her job.
​
Angered leaders of the biomedical community
pressured President Reagan, who in turn unceremoniously
removed Secretary Heckler from her position as head of HHS
(an agency with the third-largest budget on earth)
and sent her to Ireland, demoting and appointing her
as the new U.S. Ambassador to Ireland.
​
In 2002, Pacheco continued to revolutionize
the world of animal rights by co-founding Adopt-A-Pet.
Free to over 17,000 humane societies, animal rescue
organizations and the public, its website hosts over
100,000 adoptable animals nationwide that are viewable
and searchable online, with over 48 million website
visitors annually.
​
It is likely that Adopt-A-Pet is responsible for the adoption
of more animals than any other non-profit in the world.
​
In 2010, Pacheco founded 600 Million Stray Dogs Need You
with the mission to develop safe veterinary formulas
to permanently end the number one cause of suffering
and death for dogs and cats worldwide --
dog and cat overpopulation.
​
The first formulas in development are Spay and Neuter Cookies,
which are being designed to safely sterilize strays --
without surgery.
​​
The objective is to end the cycle of suffering for the
tens of millions of stray cats in the U.S. and
end the cycle of suffering for the 600 million stray dogs
worldwide, who give birth to over one billion stray pups each year.
​​
The organization is also dedicated to alleviating the plight
of the 15 million people who are treated for rabies each year,
and preventing the deaths of the 59,000 people who die
from rabies each year.
​​
The World Health Organization reports that
over 95% of all people who die from rabies
receive their fatal infections from one source: stray dogs.
​​
Though Pacheco co-founded PETA at the age of 21
with no money, no staff, no training, no college degree
and no business experience, he nonetheless played a central role
in raising over $128 million in donations for animal protection
while living a near possession-less life.
​​
From the first five years of PETA when he worked without pay,
often sleeping under his desk in a sleeping bag,
Pacheco’s commitment has not wavered.
​​
His work has often been dangerous,
he has come to live with threats against his life
by the abusers he exposes, and he's been
shot at many times and arrested over sixty.
​​
He's been subpoenaed many times by the FBI
and federal grand juries, while animal experimenters
have put warning posters on their laboratory walls
with his photograph, saying ...
​​
Warning –
If you see this man call security.
​​
Described by those close to him as a modern-day Spartan
because of his Franciscan, non-materialistic philosophy,
Pacheco remains an innovator and, above all,
perhaps the world’s preeminent defender of animal rights.
** Much was written regarding the Silver Spring Monkey
campaign, including ...
​
“Pacheco shocked the nation into awareness of animal abuse
in the realm of science … with the first laboratory animal case
argued before the U.S. Supreme Court”
– Publishers Weekly.
​
“The modern anti-vivisection movement began in 1980
with the Silver Spring Monkey case.”
– Dr. Murry Cohen.
​
“Pacheco is widely considered the founder
of the modern Animal Rights Movement.”
– Dr. Andrew Kirschner.
​
"Until 1981, it didn't occur to most folks that animals --
from mice to dogs to chimps -- might be abused
in scientific laboratories. Then came Alex Pacheco ... "
- Philadelphia Inquirer.
​
“This landmark case … filled a newly discovered void
in the American conscience."
– Booklist.
​
“The most famous laboratory animals in history.”
– Author Kathy Snow Guillermo.
​
“The ensuing battle over the monkeys’ custody
saw celebrities and politicians campaign for the monkeys’ release,
an amendment in 1985 to the Animal Welfare Act,
the transformation of PETA from a group of friends
into a national movement, the creation of the first
North American Animal Liberation Front cell
and the first animal research case to
reach the United States Supreme Court.”
– Wikipedia.
Thank you for caring.
Thank you for caring.
Alex Pacheco
600 Million Stray Dogs Need You
Founder
Animal Rights Hall of Fame
Inductee
Adopt A Pet
Co-Founder
PETA Co-Founder
Chairman (1980-2000)
Sea Shepherd
Crew Member of the Year
Peace Abbey
Courage of Conscience Award
Share anywhere
