Billboard to Pay Tribute to Chickens Killed in Truck Crash

PETA Ad Encourages Drivers to Spare a Thought for the Terrified Animals on Transport Trucks

For Immediate Release:
June 13, 2018

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

PETA is trying to place a billboard near the site of a June 6 truck crash on Route 301 near Bethel Church Road in Middletown to pay tribute to the chickens who were killed or grievously injured in the wreck. The billboard—which features an image of a chicken next to the words “I’m ME, Not MEAT. See the Individual. Go Vegan“—would point out that we can all prevent animal suffering and death by choosing vegan foods.

“This devastating crash left countless birds dead or mangled and suffering on the side of the highway,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s billboard would send an important message that the best way to prevent these tragedies is to keep smart, sensitive chickens off the road in the first place by going vegan.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—notes that chickens killed for their flesh are crammed by the tens of thousands into filthy sheds and bred to grow such unnaturally large upper bodies that their legs often become crippled under the weight. At the slaughterhouse, their throats are often cut while they’re still conscious, and many are scalded to death in defeathering tanks.

On Friday evening, locals gathered for a candlelight vigil in honor of the chickens killed in this latest crash, which is the fourth involving animal transport trucks in Delaware in two years. Route 301 is a gateway to the Delmarva Peninsula, where chicken “processing” is a major industry. In the past year alone, about 605 million chickens were raised and killed for food in the area.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.