Fresh from Its Latest Dustup Among Many, PETA’s Controversial Turkey Truck to Arrive in Cedar Rapids
For Immediate Release:
November 20, 2025
Contact:
Hannah Nelson 202-483-7382
On Saturday, PETA’s notorious “Hell on Wheels” hyper-realistic turkey transport truck will roll into Cedar Rapids after having flown the coop in Prestonsburg, Kentucky, where its presence prompted overzealous police to pull the driver out of the parked truck, arrest her, and confiscate PETA’s rolling reality check. The now-vindicated vexatious vehicle will stop outside the Holiday Bazaar on 2nd Ave SEto give shoppers a birds-eye view of what turkeys endure and urge them to give the birds a break this Thanksgiving. Anyone within earshot will hear actual recorded sounds of the turkeys’ cries, which come with a subliminal message they won’t hear suggesting that they go vegan.
PETA’s “Hell on Wheels” is on tour across 30 states, aiming to stoke compassion for the approximately 46 million turkeys killed every year for Thanksgiving alone. It’s part of PETA’s fleet of empathy-building vehicles, which have been causing meltdowns across the country; in addition to the Kentucky incident, food vendors in New York have blocked PETA’s vegan ice cream truck and vandals in Oregon have absconded with PETA’s “Hell on Wheels” chicken truck.
Where: Outside the Holiday Bazaar on 2nd Ave SE, Cedar Rapids
When: Saturday, November 22, 10:00 a.m.
“Behind every trussed-up turkey is a terrified individual whose life was taken away from them for a fleeting taste of their flesh,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s ‘Hell on Wheels’ truck is an appeal to consumers to choose a delicious vegan feast this Thanksgiving and PETA is ready with recipes, tips, and more.”
Credit: PETA
Why: In nature, turkeys spend their days caring for their young, building nests, foraging for food, taking dust baths, and roosting in trees, and they can live for over 10 years. But in the meat industry, turkeys’ throats are slit within their first six months of life—and tens of millions are killed each year for Thanksgiving and Christmas alone.
PETA notes that with a plethora of delicious vegan roasts—including Field Roast’s Hazelnut & Cranberry Plant-Based Roast, Gardein’s Plant-Based Turk’y Roast, and Tofurky’s Plant-Based Roast & Wild Rice Stuffing—available in stores and online, cruelty and death have no place on holiday tables.
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. PETA’s free vegan starter kit and “ThanksVegan” guide are filled with tips to help anyone looking to make the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
