‘Have a Heart—Go Vegan,’ Proclaims Lobster on New PETA Ads
Ads Urge People to See All Animals as Individuals—and Leave Them off Their Plates This Valentine’s Day
For Immediate Release:
February 11, 2019
Contact:
Audrey Shircliff 202-483-7382
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, PETA has placed ads featuring a lobster declaring, “I’m ME, Not MEAT. Have a Heart. Go Vegan,” near several lobster-serving restaurants in Reno, which has been declared one of the top 25 most romantic U.S. cities of 2019.
The ads are located at 25 Gentry Way (near Oceano, Bistro Napa, and Sky Terrace Oyster Bar restaurants), 98 Moran St. and 315 S. Sierra St. (near Fin & Filet and Rapscallion), and 296 Ralston St. (near Pearl Oyster Bar and Grill). They’ll be up for one month.
“Just like humans, lobsters feel pain and fear, have unique personalities, and value their own lives,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s ads encourage people to show some love to these animals and prevent them from being boiled alive simply by choosing vegan meals for Valentine’s Day and every other day.”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—notes that lobsters are intelligent individuals who explore their surroundings, can remember individual lobsters, and use complex signals to establish social relationships. If left alone, they can live to be more than 100 years old. A PETA investigation of a crustacean slaughterhouse revealed that live lobsters were impaled, torn apart, and decapitated—even as their legs continued to move. Chefs typically place live lobsters into pots of boiling water while they’re still conscious—a cruel practice that has recently been banned in Switzerland.
PETA offers a free vegan starter kit (available here) full of recipes, tips, and more. For more information, please visit PETA.org.
