Giant Cows to Serve a Wake-Up Call to Would-Be Burger-Eaters in Columbus, Courtesy of PETA

For Immediate Release:
May 1, 2024

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

There could be a whole lot of awkward U-turns out of the many fast-food drive-throughs on Victory Drive and Manchester Expressway this month, as those stopping by Burger King, Wendy’s, and other meat-centric eateries will come face-to-face with two massive cows staring down from above and asking, “Remember that time you ate a burger? We do. Go vegan!” PETA is placing the mooving pleas near several local restaurants—including directly behind Del Taco’s drive-through—just in time for National Hamburger Month (May 1–31).

“Cows are sensitive, gentle beings who feel pain and fear, value their own lives, and don’t want their flesh to be ground up and made into artery-busting burgers any more than we would,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is encouraging everyone to leave cows off their plates—and clear their conscience—by celebrating National Hamburger Month with one of the many delicious vegan patties that are widely available.”

Cows in the meat industry are often confined to cramped, filthy feedlots without protection from the elements. Calves are torn away from their mothers within hours of birth and are castrated, dehorned, and branded without any pain relief. At slaughterhouses, workers shoot cows in the head with a captive-bolt gun, hang them up by one leg, and slit their throat—often while they’re still conscious and able to feel pain.

Each person who goes vegan spares nearly 200 animals every year and reduces their own risk of suffering from cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and obesity. PETA’s free vegan starter kit is filled with tips to help anyone looking to make the switch.

PETA’s billboards are located at 3461 Victory Dr., near Checkers, Burger King, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Wendy’s, and at 1508 Manchester Expy., near Burger King, Del Taco, McDonald’s, Ole Times Country Buffet, and Sonic.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out thatEvery Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.