PETA Wants to Buy Charles Darwin’s Home and Turn It Into an Animal Empathy Museum

Photo: Miles & Barr Exclusive/Shutterstock

Most people today know Darwin for his theory and studies on the fauna of the Galapagos Islands, but he was also an advocate for the good treatment of animals. According to PETA, he was vocally against the steel-jaw traps that game wardens and fur trappers often used because they crushed limbs.

“Charles Darwin’s groundbreaking theory of evolution established humans as just one animal among many, which is the very foundation of the modern animal rights movement,” said PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk in a press release. “PETA’s empathy museum would celebrate Darwin’s legacy by reminding visitors that we’re all part of the great orchestra of life on Earth.”

Photo: Miles & Barr Exclusive/Shutterstock

In the press release, PETA also made public Newkirk’s letter to the realtor company in charge of selling Charles Darwin’s home, Miles & Barr Exclusive. The letter details Darwin’s discovery that animals, much like humans, experience emotions and pain.

“At PETA’s empathy museum, guests would learn how Darwin spearheaded legislation to regulate experiments on animals in England,” Newkirk said in the release.