Giant Cows Confront Would-Be McDonald’s Patrons in Columbus, With a Pressing Question

For Immediate Release:
December 15, 2025

Contact:
Hannah Nelson 202-483-7382

Anyone stopping by the McDonald’s on N. High Street might grimace at the thought of a Big Mac as they come face-to-face with two big ole cows staring down from above and asking, “Remember that time you ate a burger? We do!” PETA has placed their mooving plea right beside the fast-food chain’s entrance just in time for the new year, encouraging everyone to think about how cows and other animals who end up on a bun are individuals like themselves, and go vegan in 2026.

Credit: PETA

“When you think about it, which is the point of this ad, cows feel love, joy, pain, and fear just as the people who eat them do, and it’s kind not to kill them for your fast food fix,” says PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA urges everyone to consider the individual who suffers for that fleeting taste and let all animals live.” 

Cows have friends and mourn when a loved one dies or when they’re separated from each other. In the meat industry, they’re crammed into filthy sheds and feedlots, endure routine mutilations including tail docking, castration, and dehorning with no painkillers, and are slaughtered at just a fraction of their natural lifespan.

Each person who chooses vegan foods spares nearly 200 animals every year and reduces their own risk of suffering from cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and obesity. PETA’s free vegan starter kit is filled with tips to help anyone looking to make the switch.

PETA’s billboard is located at 1972 N. High St., Columbus.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kitsfor people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.