For Immediate Release:
January 18, 2022
Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382
Burlington, Ontario – In memory of PETA member Regan Russell—who was killed by a pig-transport truck during a peaceful protest outside locally based Fearmans Pork—PETA has raised seven sky-high tributes near the slaughterhouse that read, “I’m ME, Not MEAT.” The billboards honor Regan, who saw pigs as individuals and was trying to help relieve their suffering by giving them sips of water just prior to her death, by sharing the message that everyone can make a difference for animals by choosing not to eat them.
“Regan had been an animal advocate since 1979, attended vigils weekly for years, and cared deeply about protecting the vulnerable,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA encourages everyone to honor her legacy of compassion by going vegan and getting others to join them.”
In the meat industry, workers chop off piglets’ tails, cut their teeth with pliers, and castrate the males—all without pain relief. At the slaughterhouse, workers hang pigs upside down, sometimes while they’re still conscious, and bleed them to death. About 10,000 pigs are trucked to and slaughtered at Fearmans Pork every day, but by going vegan, each person can save nearly 200 animals a year.
PETA’s billboards are located near these intersections:
- Fairview Street and Drury Lane
- Harvester Road and Cumberland Avenue
- Upper Middle Road and Heron Way
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat” and which opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview—offers a free vegan starter kit. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
