Bite This: Giant ‘Tick’ to Hand Out Free Vegan Cookbooks Amid Surge in Alpha-Gal Cases
For Immediate Release:
April 16, 2026
Contact:
Andrew Grant 202-483-7382
As Long Island sees a surge in alpha-gal syndrome cases—a severe tick-borne allergy to meat and dairy—a giant “Lone Star Tick” will crawl through Huntington on Friday to give away free copies of PETA’s Lone Star Tick Cookbook—courtesy of PETA and Humane Long Island. From Philly “cheesesteaks,” to slow-cooker Texas chili, and vegan sausage, biscuit, and gravy sandwiches—every one of its delicious vegan dishes are tick bite allergy-proof.
“No one needs to wait for a dangerous meat allergy to discover how delicious vegan eating can be,” says PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk. “One bite of PETA’s mouthwatering recipes will have even the staunchest carnivores wondering why they waited for a tick to make the switch.”
Where: At the corner of Main St and New York Ave, Huntington, New York
When: Friday, April 17, 12 p.m.
Why: Pigs are soothed by music, and cows mourn when a loved one dies or when they’re separated from each other. Yet in the meat industry, they’re crammed into filthy sheds or kept on crowded feedlots and subjected to tail docking, castration, and other mutilations with no pain relief. Eventually, they’re forced onto transport trucks for a terrifying journey to a slaughterhouse, where workers slit their throats—often while they’re still conscious.
Each person who goes vegan spares nearly 200 animals every year, dramatically shrinks their food-related carbon footprint, and slashes their risk of suffering from cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and obesity. PETA’s free vegan starter kit and Lone Star Tick Cookbook can help anyone looking to make the switch.
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.
