Wherever she goes, PETA President Ingrid Newkirk draws crowds, and now that she’s kicked off her speaking tour to promote her new book, Animalkind: Remarkable Discoveries About Animals and Revolutionary New Ways to Show Them Compassion, those crowds continue to grow.

When Ingrid hit Tampa, Florida, on February 9, attendees of her talk got a chance to hear about the fascinating evidence of animals’ intelligence, awareness, and emotions. Guests enjoyed vegan refreshments and mingled with others interested in this important conversation. All proceeds from ticket sales and donations were dedicated to PETA’s programs to stop animal abuse and end speciesism.

To kick off the event, longtime PETA donor and activist Lisa DeBartolo introduced Ingrid before her presentation. Lisa, who has been with PETA for nearly 20 years, is also the CEO of the DeBartolo Family Foundation. The foundation has long supported animal rights causes, including by helping to underwrite a portion of the expenses associated with promoting PETA’s new hard-hitting documentary, Breaking the Chain. The film, which tells the story of neglected animals and PETA’s dedication to helping them, will premiere at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in March.

Adding to the excitement, the event—presented by Veestro and Humane Travel—honored longtime activists Stewart and Terri David with PETA’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Since the 1980s, the Davids have worked to help animals—from founding Carolina Animal Action to holding countless protests to authoring hundreds of letters to the editor (on issues such as the suffering of chickens in slaughterhouses, the abuse of elephants in circuses, the cruelty of foie gras production, global climate change, and vegan living).

The Davids campaigned in Asheville, North Carolina, to amend the city’s animal control ordinance, which resulted in a unanimous vote by the city council to pass one of the most progressive ordinances in North Carolina. Terri helped organize an anti-fur protest in Chicago that had more than 1,200 participants, and Stewart stood up for cows by dressing as one during the Oprah mad cow trial and stalked Al Gore to call attention to chemical testing on animals. And they’re fighting to end the sale of puppies in stores in Florida.

The Davids are truly part of the PETA family. In 2018, when we saved a senior dog named Kale  who was blind in one eye and had been chained 24/7 in a junk-filled backyard, Terri and Stewart made sure that his golden years were full of love. And in 2019, when we rescued Missy—who had endured solitary confinement outdoors for 10 years—the Davids adopted her, too! The pup now spends her days going to the beach, curling up in her soft bed, and being cared for and cherished.

The special event concluded with a round of applause—and a round of delicious vegan desserts, including an extra-special treat from Baskin-Robbins. The company recently added three new vegan ice cream flavors to its menu after meeting with PETA! Guests were treated to the delicious Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavor, which got rave reviews from all and was a sweet finale to the night.

Find out more information on Ingrid’s bookstore store appearances and her “Animalkind” tour.