‘Hell on Wheels’ is Coming—Pig Truck to Blast Dying Animals’ Cries Outside Big Muddy Brew ‘n Que

For Immediate Release:
September 4, 2024

Contact:
Reed Bolonyi 202-483-7382

Attendees of the Big Muddy Brew ’n Que festival at Levee Park are in for an earful this weekend, when “Hell on Wheels”—PETA’s life-size, hyperrealistic pig transport truck covered with images of real pigs crammed into crates on their way to slaughter—will bombard them with actual recorded sounds of the animals’ panicked screams along with a subliminal message every 10 seconds suggesting that people go vegan.

“Behind every piece of bacon or rack of ribs 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 pigs to remember that the meat industry is cruel to them and that the only kind meal is a vegan one.”

Where: Big Muddy Brew ’n Que, 58 Center St., Winona

When: Friday, September 6, through Sunday, September 8, 12 noon

Why: In the meat industry, workers chop off piglets’ tails, clip their teeth with pliers, and castrate the males—all without pain relief. When the time comes for slaughter, they’re crammed onto trucks and transported hundreds of miles through all weather extremes without food, water, or rest. Every year, more than 1 million pigs die and at least 40,000 others sustain injuries during transport to slaughterhouses. It’s common for pigs on the way to slaughter to suffer from heat exhaustion or even become frozen to the sides of trucks.

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.