Not a Creature Was Stirring, Not Even a—Well, One Mouse Has a Holiday Plea

PETA’s ‘Give Peas a Chance’ Billboard Asks for Goodwill to All, Including Animals, Large and Small

For Immediate Release:
December 20, 2018

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

Because Portland is one of the country’s top 25 “rattiest” cities and cruel methods like glue traps are still used, PETA has placed a holiday billboard plea for peace there showing an adorable mouse snacking on a sugar snap pea alongside the message “Give Peas a Chance. Go Vegan.”

The billboard is located at 2411 S.E. 122^nd Ave. in Portland, near several meat-serving restaurants—including Subway, Burger King, and Taco Bell—as well as Division Halal Meat Market and Grocery Outlet, and will be in place through December 28.

“The holidays are the perfect time to spare a thought for our fellow animals who walk, fly, swim, or scurry among us,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA’s billboard encourages everyone to help foster peace on Earth by leaving animals off their plates and out of vile glue traps and ones that crush their backs.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—notes that animals who are killed for their flesh or because humans find them to be a nuisance feel pain and suffer just as humans do. Every person who goes vegan saves the lives of nearly 200 animals every year in today’s cruel and violent meat, egg, and dairy industries.

PETA further notes that rats are intelligent, affectionate animals who form close bonds with their families and friends, enjoy playing and wrestling, and even giggle when tickled. Effective rodent-control methods include using humane traps (instead of glue traps) to catch the animals safely and take them outside, eliminating their access to food and water inside buildings, properly closing trash containers, not littering, and sealing off entry points such as holes and cracks.

PETA offers free vegan starter kits (available here) full of recipes, tips, and more. For more information, please visit PETA.org.