Photo Op: ‘Hell on Wheels’ Chicken Truck to Blast Dying Birds’ Cries at Main Street Square
For Immediate Release:
August 15, 2024
Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382
Diners on their way into Firehouse Brewing Co., Tally’s Silver Spoon, and other downtown eateries are in for an earful on Saturday, 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 nearly 190 herds of cows in the dairy industry and resulting in the killing of nearly 18 million chickens nationwide since the beginning of the year.
“Behind every hot 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 hazardous to human health and the only kind meal is a vegan one.”
Where: Near the intersection of Main and Sixth Streets, Rapid City
When: Saturday, August 17, 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.
