‘Hell on Wheels’ Chicken Truck to Blast Dying Birds’ Cries Outside Beckley Eateries
For Immediate Release:
February 20, 2025
Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382
Diners on their way into the Omelet Shoppe and other local eateries that serve birds are in for an earful on Sunday 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., resulting in a man’s death on January 6 and dozens of reported cases. Bird flu has also infected more than 900 herds of cows in the dairy industry since March 2024 and resulted in the killing of over 24 million chickens this year alone. PETA points out that breeding and raising animals for food creates hotspots for potentially deadly zoonotic diseases, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that three out of every four new or emerging infectious diseases in humans are transmitted due to contact with animals, primarily those used in animal agriculture.
“Behind every chicken sandwich 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 or eggs to remember that these industries are cruel to birds and hazardous to human health and that the only kind meal is a vegan one.”
Where: Omelet Shoppe, 2001 Harper Road, Beckley
When: Sunday, February 23, 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, mechanized blades slit their throats—often while they’re still conscious—and many are scalded to death in de-feathering tanks.
Vegan egg company JUST Egg offers a coupon to help people transition away from chicken eggs.
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 can help anyone looking to make the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
