Pig’s Holiday Message to Kalamazoo: ‘I’m Me, Not Meat’

PETA Billboard Urges People to Go Vegan in 2019

For Immediate Release:
December 20, 2018

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

With the holiday season in full swing and the new year right around the corner, PETA has placed a billboard in Kalamazoo that shows a pig next to the words “I’m ME, Not MEAT. See the Individual. Go Vegan” in order to encourage passersby to opt for delicious animal-free meals over the holidays and all year round.

The billboard is located on I-94, one mile east of E. Kilgore Road, and will be up for four weeks.

“This billboard challenges people to think about who pigs really are: sensitive, intelligent individuals who don’t deserve to be killed for a fleeting taste,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “This holiday season, PETA is calling on everyone to opt for delicious vegan meals that keep cruelty off the table.”

Every year in the U.S., 121 million pigs are killed for food. On farms, mother pigs are squeezed into narrow metal stalls and kept almost constantly pregnant or nursing. Pigs’ tails are chopped off, their teeth are cut with pliers, and males are castrated—all without painkillers. At slaughterhouses, they’re hung upside down and bled to death, often while still conscious.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that going vegan is the perfect New Year’s resolution. Each person who ditches meat, eggs, and dairy “products” not only saves the lives of nearly 200 animals every year but also helps to combat climate change and lowers their own risk of suffering from obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and numerous other health problems.

PETA offers free holiday recipes and vegan starter kits on its website. For more information, please visit PETA.org.