PETA’s Pig Truck is Coming to Heritage Plaza: Will Dying Pigs’ Cries Get People to Stop Eating Them?
For Immediate Release:
February 18, 2026
Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382
It’s called the “Hell on Wheels” pig truck, and those are not its tires you hear squealing—it’s the recording of actual pigs on their way to slaughter. The point of the traveling exhibit is to expose the meat industry’s deceitful portrayals of smiling pigs “happily” dancing their way to the dinner plate, and people will get an earful on their way into Heritage Plaza and other Altoona eateries that serve pork as they encounter its pig sights and sounds. The hyper-realistic road hog will play actual recordings of the pigs’ panicked screams, along with a looping subliminal message urging people to go vegan—something that might make for interesting dinner table conversations later in the day.
PETA is rolling through towns across the country, urging diners to consider who, not what, is on their plates, and has contacted restaurants along the truck’s route—including JJ Hadley & Co. Brewers—to offer to help them add vegan options with tips, recipes, and easy-to-make favorites.
“Every piece of pepperoni or ham sandwich was once a thinking, feeling being who suffered a terrifying trip to a violent death,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s ‘Hell on Wheels’ truck is a reminder to everyone that the meat industry is a killer, and cruelty to animals isn’t just hitting a dog—it’s failing to choose vegan meals.”
Where: Heritage Plaza, 1401-07 11th Ave., Altoona
When: Thursday, February 19, 4 p.m.
Why: Pigs dream when they sleep, recognize their own names, and show empathy for other pigs who are happy or distressed. In the meat industry, workers chop off piglets’ tails, clip their teeth with pliers, and castrate the males—all without pain relief. Every year, more than 1 million pigs die, and at least 40,000 others sustain injuries during transport to slaughterhouses. It’s common for pigs on the way to slaughter to suffer from heat exhaustion or even become frozen to the sides of trucks.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat or abuse in any other way”—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 PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
