“Hell on Wheels” is coming – Pig truck transmits screams of dying animals at Nathan’s famous competition

For immediate release:
July 2, 2024

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

Brooklyn, New York: The most beautiful cities –

Following the news that 16-time champion Joey Chestnut was kicked out of the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest for representing a vegan hot dog, “Hell on wheels“” – PETA’s life-sized, hyper-realistic pig truck covered in images of real pigs crammed into crates on their way to slaughter – heads to Coney Island on Thursday to bombard competition viewers with actual recorded sounds of the animals’ panicked screams, along with a subliminal message every 10 seconds encouraging people to go vegan.

Where: In front of Nathan’s Famous, 1310 Surf Ave., Coney Island, Brooklyn

When: Thursday, July 4, 11am

“Behind every hot dog is a once-living, sensitive individual crammed into a truck for a horrific, miserable journey to death,” said Tracy Reiman, PETA’s vice president. “PETA’s ‘Hell on Wheels’ truck is a reminder to anyone who eats pigs, cows, or other animals to remember that the meat industry is cruel to them and that the only good meal is a vegan one.”

In the meat industry, workers cut off piglets’ tails, cut their teeth with pliers, and castrate the males – all without painkillers. When it’s time to slaughter, they are crammed into trucks and transported hundreds of miles in all weathers, without food, water, or rest. Each year, more than a million pigs die and at least 40,000 more are injured during transport to the slaughterhouse. It’s common for pigs to suffer heat exhaustion on the way to the slaughterhouse, or even freeze to the sides of the trucks.

PETA—whose motto includes, “Animals are not meant to be eaten by us”—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 full of tips to help anyone considering making the switch.

For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebookor Instagram.