‘Hell on Wheels’ is Coming to Asheville: Chicken Truck to Blast Dying Birds’ Cries Outside Mamacita’s Taqueria
For Immediate Release:
April 2, 2025
Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382
Diners on their way into Mamacita’s Taqueria and other meaty eateries are in for an earful tomorrow when “Hell on Wheels”—PETA’s life-size, hyperrealistic chicken transport truck covered with images of real chickens crammed into crates on their way to slaughter—will bombard them with actual recorded sounds of the birds’ cries along with a subliminal message every 10 seconds suggesting that people go vegan.
The vexatious vehicle’s arrival comes amid the continuing spread of bird flu in the U.S.—which has resulted in the killing of over 30 million chickens in 2025 alone. Bird flu has also infected nearly 1,000 herds of cows in the dairy industry since March 2024 and dozens of humans over the last year, leading to one man’s death in January. PETA points out that breeding and raising animals for food creates hotspots for potentially deadly zoonotic diseases.
“Behind every chicken burrito is a once-living, sensitive individual who was crammed onto a truck for a terrifying, miserable journey to their death,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s ‘Hell on Wheels’ truck is an appeal to anyone who eats chicken or eggs to remember that these industries are cruel to birds and hazardous to human health and that the only kind meal is a vegan one.”
Where: Mamacita’s Taqueria, 77-A Biltmore Ave., Asheville
When: Thursday, April 3, 5 p.m.
After this stop, the truck will head to Waffle House at 171 Tunnel Rd.
Why: In the meat industry, chickens are confined by the tens of thousands to severely crowded, filthy sheds and bred to grow such unnaturally large upper bodies that their legs often become crippled under the weight. Hens used for egg production are crammed together inside wire-floored cages where they don’t even have enough room to spread their wings. At slaughterhouses, mechanized blades slit their throats—often while they’re still conscious—and many are scalded to death in de-feathering tanks.
Vegan egg company JUST Egg offers a coupon to help people transition away from chicken eggs.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. PETA’s free vegan starter kit can help anyone looking to make the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
