Avoidable Tragedy: Local Barn Blaze That Killed Pigs Prompts PETA Memorial and Pro-Vegan Plea
For Immediate Release:
September 9, 2024
Contact:
Reed Bolonyi 202-483-7382
In honour of the 1,599 pigs who died in terror and agony after a barn they were confined to went up in flames on Sideroad 5E near Derrynane last week, PETA plans to place a memorial billboard near the scene pointing out who’s responsible for their deaths: everyone who isn’t already vegan.
“Each of these pigs was an individual who died in pain and terror, engulfed by smoke and flames,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA urges everyone to please go vegan to help prevent pigs from suffering and dying in barns or slaughterhouses.”
PETA points out that pigs are playful, intelligent, friendly animals who are soothed by music, love playing ball, sleep in “pig piles,” and even enjoy getting massages. In the meat industry, workers chop off piglets’ tails, clip their teeth with pliers, and castrate the males. Each person who goes vegan spares nearly 200 animals every year; reduces their own risk of suffering from cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and obesity; and dramatically shrinks their carbon footprint. PETA’s free vegan starter kit can help those looking to make the switch.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
