Local diners just might think twice about chowing down on fried chicken after they see—and hear—“Hell on Wheels,” PETA’s new guerilla-marketing campaign featuring a life-size chicken transport truck covered with images of real chickens crammed into crates on their way to a slaughterhouse, complete with actual recorded sounds of the birds’ cries and a subliminal message every 10 seconds suggesting that people go vegan. It will debut at Noble Wave | Louisiana Kitchen on Sunday before moving on to confront diners at iWingz, Buffalo Wild Wings, Wingstop, and Elmer’s Restaurant as part of the group’s national tour.
When: Sunday, April 23, 12 noon
Where: Noble Wave | Louisiana Kitchen, 189 Liberty St. N.E. Ste. 112, Salem
“Behind every barbecued wing or bucket of fried chicken is a once-living, sensitive individual who was crammed onto a truck for a terrifying, miserable journey to their death,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s ‘Hell on Wheels’ truck is an appeal to anyone who eats chicken to remember that the meat industry is cruel to birds and that the kindest meal is a vegan one.”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview.
Please see the following statement from PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo regarding the California Horse Racing Board’s newly introduced regulation prohibiting racing license holders from participating in unsanctioned races, a ruling that follows a presentation Guillermo gave to the board in December:
The California Horse Racing Board has sent a clear message that the drug-and-death-infested black market bush tracks exposed by PETA’s undercover investigation cannot operate in California. Jockeys, trainers, and owners involved in that high-stakes, crooked world will face consequences, and PETA applauds the board for acting swiftly on our evidence to protect horses.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information about our investigative newsgathering and reporting, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has officially apologized for excluding Dr. Alka Chandna, PETA’s vice president of laboratory investigation cases, from a public meeting at the agency’s main campus, after PETA threatened legal action for violation of the First Amendment.
In a letter sent to PETA’s legal counsel, Dr. Michael Lauer, NIH’s deputy director for extramural research, writes, “I apologize,” acknowledging that Dr. Chandna had been invited to attend the public comment session of the National Advisory Mental Health Council’s open policy meeting on February 7 in Bethesda, Maryland. Her exclusion, Lauer wrote, was due to a “miscommunication between the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the NIH police.”
“I look forward to exercising my First Amendment right to attend NIH public meetings and advocate for animals who are locked in laboratory cages and subjected to painful, terrifying experiments,” says Chandna. “PETA and I are determined to push NIH toward an animal-free future of sophisticated, human-relevant research methods.”
Pointing out that NIH had violated the First Amendment by denying Dr. Chandna entry because of her critical views, PETA Foundation Litigation Counsel Jeffrey Stein wrote—in a letter sent to NIH officials on February 15—that PETA was prepared to take legal action to enforce Dr. Chandna’s and its constitutional rights.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Did you catch that clever billboard or bus ad for Earth Day reminding you how vital it is to go vegan? PETA’s made sure you won’t miss this message saying, “Either go vegan or put a cork in it,” by placing ads in multiple cities around the country ahead of April 22.
To address the ongoing climate catastrophe, ending speciesism and the exploitation of animals is paramount. We must learn about and take action to stop worldwide animal abuse and its destruction of the planet, even as we’re endeavoring to save the environment in other ways.
Some Hot Spots—PETA Hopes Won’t ‘Put a Cork in It’—Sporting the Ad for Earth Day
PETA’s ad will appear on buses in some cities and on billboards in others, driving home the point that caring about the planet has to include going vegan. Even if you don’t live in any of these places, let PETA’s ad add to your motivation:
Berkeley, California: Running for a month starting on April 17, this billboard ad will be located at 2005 San Pablo Ave. (at the intersection of San Pablo and University avenues). PETA chose Berkeley because the city’s environmentally minded inhabitants frequently top Earth-conscious lists.
San Diego, California: Also running for a month starting on the 17th, our ad will hover over the hip and trendy neighborhood of Hillcrest at 1119 University Ave. (at the intersection of University Avenue and Vermont Street). PETA picked San Diego since it’s also known for being planet-conscious.
Buffalo, New York: Running for two months, our ad will be on 10 king-sized boards on buses circling the city starting on April 17. PETA chose Buffalo since it made it onto a top 15 list of environmentally conscious cities. In 2020, Erie County—where the city is situated—surpassed its goal to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, observing an emissions decrease of 36.4% compared to a 2005 baseline.
Grand Rapids, Michigan: Our ad will appear on 10 buses circling the city starting on April 10 and will run for one month. PETA picked Grand Rapids since it has a Mayor’s Greening Initiative working to achieve 40% tree canopy coverage, has Gold-level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design buildings, and more.
The Worth of Earth Day to Animals and the Planet: Why We Shouldn’t ‘Put a Cork in It’
As a crucial part of the environment, animals must be respected as the curious, feeling beings they are, and humans need to stop breeding and using them for experiments, food, clothing, entertainment, and the pet trade.
When it comes to fashion, the exploitation of cows, pigs, goats, and sheep for their skin causes vast environmental destruction that many humans are not aware of or ignore when they buy clothing or accessories made of leather, wool, fur, or exotic skins.
The use of aquatic and land animals’ flesh, eggs, and bovine mammary secretions as food is one of the biggest contributors to the climate emergency and the cause of a wide range of other environmental issues, including deforestation, water pollution, and loss of biodiversity. Specific to sea life, the current rate at which humans are killing fish for food—along with “bycatch”—is likely to result in fishless oceans by 2048, which could deprive all life on Earth of consistent oxygen.
According to the United Nations, a global shift to vegan eating is vital if we’re to combat the worst effects of the climate catastrophe, as animal agriculture alone is responsible for approximately one-fifth of all human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. While rolling out Earth Day ads last year, PETA highlighted the fact that hurricanes and wildfires have increased in intensity and destructive potential because of these emissions.
In addition to helping the planet, each human who goes vegan spares nearly 200 animals each year daily misery and terrifying deaths in slaughterhouses; reduces their own risk of suffering from cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity; and even helps prevent future pandemics. Experts believe COVID-19 may have stemmed or spread from a live-animal meat market, and SARS, swine flu, and bird flu have also been linked to confining and killing animals for food.
Earth Day provides a powerful opportunity for us to pause and reflect on our fellow animals with whom we share the planet and how to minimize our carbon footprint through compassion.
Kriech Higdon Photography
What You Can Do This Earth Day and Beyond
You guessed it: Go vegan. But first, take time to research the many reasons why this is so important for animals, the planet, and human health. Talk with your family and friends about going vegan, send them copies of our free vegan starter kit (below), and share PETA’s message across social media to expand your reach.
