the last time ingrid newkirk was in the city she was a caged chicken on the verge of becoming foodto remind people that flesh is flesh this time around the 67yearold activist is a grey elephant in shackles on friday chained to the pillars of a fake temple structure at kala ghoda newkirk crouched as a mahout ran a bullhook across her back this was in protest of the illtreatment of temple elephants we are the same under the skin she says so you might as well whip me the president of people for the ethical treatment of animals peta international is a controversial figure for her inyourface ways and is routinely sprayed with vitriol i have received pieces of animals in my mail she says they know the clock is ticking but bad habits are hard to break says the londonborn american who started peta in 1980 after discovering various cruelties in animal testingto drill home the message that animals are not meant to be eaten worn or used for entertainment peta has used many tacticspretend nudity caged celebrities and provocative imagery hate and violence are offlimits though says newkirk who will deliver a keynote speech at the ahimsa fest a vegan festival in vile parle on sundayas someone who stopped eating pork after watching a pig hanker for a drink of water in a butchers store her speech may touch upon how giving up dairy gave her better skin made her healthier and how paneer really tastes like blotting papernaturally hearing news of the death of the penguin at byculla zoo has infuriated her and now they are getting a leopard its not a toy you know it is a living thing it has a habitat says newkirk