For more than 40 years, PETA has worked to change the way many people think about animals. Attention-grabbing media campaigns have raised the public’s awareness of practices like factory farming, fur production and animal testing — while also drawing backlash at times for the group’s tactics.

A “chicken in distress” call last month led to an unusual rescue effort in Lincoln Park – and an award for the Chicago Police Department.

Dressed in little more than black-and-white body paint, a PETA supporter on Wednesday will urge passersby to skip performances this month by a circus company with a track record of mistreating animals. 

As part of PETA’s eye-catching “Lettuce Ladies” campaign, South Elgin native Mysti Lee travels the globe promoting animal rights. 

Illinois will become the first state to ban the use of elephants in circuses and other traveling exhibitions, putting an official end to a practice that animal rights activists have been protesting for decades.

The ethical debate over zoos – and whether animals belong in them – has resurfaced over the past year, and now Brookfield Zoo is joining the discussion.