PETA’s ‘Payback Is Hell’ Billboard Suggests Leaving Wild Animals in Peace

Hunter Who Was Injured on Elk’s Antlers Sparked Group’s Weigh-In

For Immediate Release:
September 16, 2013

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382 

Vernal, Utah — According to news reports, on September 7, Bradley Greenwood shot and killed a bull elk in Uintah County, but the bleeding and pain were far from over. That’s because Bradley had to be rushed to the hospital after he gored himself on the dead elk’s antler, which pierced his face. That’s why PETA plans to place a billboard in Vernal that shows an elk with blood dripping from his antlers and reads, “Payback Is Hell. Leave Animals Alone!” 

“No one wants to be treated as a living target or to suffer and die—not humans, not animals,” says PETA Campaigns Manager Katie Arth. “Hunting means causing pain, fear, suffering, and death, and there’s nothing ‘sporting’ about it.”

PETA suggests that people consider the following points the next time a hunter starts bragging about a kill:
• Hunting breeds insensitivity toward the suffering of others, disturbs animal populations, and damages ecosystems.
• Every year, hunters wound countless animals who escape only to suffer and die slowly from their injuries.
• Left alone, animal populations self-regulate based on predator-prey relationships and the availability of food and habitat. Slaughtering animals because they might starve or might get sick is just an excuse to kill.
• Fewer than 6 percent of Americans hunt. A new generation recognizes that animals are part of our environment and deserving of respect—not moving targets to massacre for “sport.”
• PETA believes that it takes a small person to kill an unarmed animal.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.