Roadside Memorial Sought for Pigs Killed in Tractor-Trailer Crash

PETA’s Memorial Tombstone Would Urge Drivers to Go Vegan

For Immediate Release:
August 24, 2015

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

A tractor-trailer carrying 80 pigs to slaughter overturned on the ramp connecting Route 30 eastbound to Route 222 on Monday, August 17, killing several terrified animals. In response, a Pennsylvania resident is joining PETA in asking the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to erect a 5-foot tombstone memorial for a month in memory of the lives that were lost. The memorial will also give motorists food for thought by calling on caring people to spare pigs the terrifying journey to slaughter by going vegan.

“This memorial is intended to remind tractor-trailer drivers of their responsibility to the thousands of animals they carry to their deaths every year,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA hopes to encourage motorists to help make roads safer for everyone by choosing healthy vegan foods and eliminating this dangerous and frightening trip entirely.”

As noted by PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—animals raised for food are typically crowded onto trucks and transported to the slaughterhouse over many miles through all weather extremes, often without food or water. Those who survive this nightmarish journey have their throats slit, often while they’re still alive. Many remain conscious when they’re plunged into the scalding-hot water of hair-removal tanks or while their bodies are being skinned or hacked apart.

The letter to the Department of Transportation is available upon request. For more information, please visit PETA.org.