EFFINGHAM – The “Hell on Wheels” chicken truck of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has visited more than 140 cities since 2022, including Effingham on Thursday.
The PETA truck is covered with images of chickens on their way to a slaughterhouse, and it plays the cries of chickens in distress. Its purpose is to inform consumers of what the group calls the inhumane conditions animals such as chickens live in – and introduce them to vegan cuisine.
Parked outside of Joe’s Pizza and Pasta, the driver, Daniel Snyder, had informational flyers and magazines, which included vegan recipes and a coupon for vegan eggs.
“We just want to introduce them to the idea,” said Snyder, who is becoming a vegan himself.
According to PETA’s website, chickens are the most abused animals. In the United States, approximately 9 billion chickens are killed every year, and 305 million hens are used for eggs. Most of them spend their lives in complete confinement in horrid conditions, according to the animal rights organization
PETA’s Assistant Manager of Demonstration Campaigns, Delana Barrett, said the truck stops at food festivals, restaurant districts and city centers across the country to give onlookers a peek into what chickens and other animals suffer through in the food industry.
“Most people, when they do see the realities of the suffering and abuse that animals go through in the food industry, they do want to do something to help,” said Barrett. “The biggest thing that we can do in our daily lives is considering the things that we’re putting on our plates and considering the clothes that we’re wearing. … Really, no one needs anything that comes from an animal, and we live in a society with endless choices. It’s easier now than ever to be compassionate.”
Barrett said by going vegan, each person can save about 200 animals every year from a lifetime of abuse and a violent, painful death.
“Behind every chicken sandwich is a once-living, sensitive individual who was crammed onto a truck for a terrifying, miserable journey to their death,” said PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman in a press release. “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.”
More vegan options are even being offered at several fast food and chain restaurants. To learn more, visit peta.org/living/food/chain-restaurants/.