He hid, hoping against hope I’d leave: how a cockroach changed my mind about killing insects | Ingrid Newkirk

When people asked me where I drew the line, I wasn't sure about insects - until a fateful encounter in my kitchen

The Grammy-winning American comedian George Carlin often included animal rights messages in his standup routines. He once joked that he'd like to invent a cockroach spray with a difference: It doesn't kill the roaches, but it fills them with self-doubt as to whether or not they're in the right house."

As one of those animal rights people who expounds on the virtues and benefits of being decent to all sentient beings, I'm often asked: Where do you draw the line? What about insects?"

Ingrid Newkirk is the founder of Peta and author of Animalkind

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