Realistic, Noisy ‘Hell on Wheels’ Chicken Truck Will Be Outside Sioux Falls Diner
For Immediate Release:
July 31, 2024
Contact:
Reed Bolonyi 202-483-7382
People on their way into Phillips Avenue Diner in downtown Sioux Falls are in for an earful on Friday when “Hell on Wheels”—PETA’s life-size, hyperrealistic chicken transport truck covered with images of real chickens crammed into crates on their way to slaughter—will bombard them with actual recorded sounds of the birds’ cries along with a subliminal message every 10 seconds suggesting that people go vegan.
The vexatious vehicle’s arrival comes as a bird flu outbreak continues to spread across the U.S., infecting over 170 herds of cows in the dairy industry and resulting in the killing of over 16 million chickens since the beginning of the year.
“Every fried chicken wing or scrambled egg means misery for sensitive birds, who endure hell on Earth before they’re crammed onto slaughter-bound trucks,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s ‘Hell on Wheels’ truck is an appeal to anyone who eats chicken or eggs to remember that the meat and egg industries are cruel to birds and hazardous to human health and the only kind meal is a vegan one.”
Where: Outside Phillips Avenue Diner, 121 S. Phillips Ave., Sioux Falls
When: Friday, August 2, 12 noon
Why: In the meat industry, chickens are confined by the tens of thousands to severely crowded, filthy sheds and bred to grow such unnaturally large upper bodies that their legs often become crippled under the weight. Hens used for egg production are crammed together inside wire-floored cages where they don’t even have enough room to spread their wings. At slaughterhouses, workers cut their throats—often while they’re still conscious—and scald many to death in defeathering tanks.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. PETA’s free vegan starter kit is filled with tips to help anyone looking to make the switch.
For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
