‘Hell on Wheels’ is Coming to Houston: Realistic Pig Truck to Blast Dying Animals’ Cries Outside Honey Baked Ham and Meaty Eateries
For Immediate Release:
April 7, 2025
Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382
Diners at The Pit Room and Easter shoppers considering going into Honey Baked Ham stores are in for an earful tomorrow when “Hell on Wheels”—PETA’s hyper-realistic pig transport truck that looks as if it contains real pigs on their way to slaughter—will bombard them with actual recorded sounds of the animals’ panicked screams, along with a subliminal message every 10 seconds suggesting that people go vegan.
The stops are part of the vexatious vehicle’s multi-state consciousness-raising Easter tour, which will hit Honey Baked Ham stores in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama ahead of the holiday to remind shoppers of the suffering behind every glazed ham centerpiece.
“Easter is all about celebrating life, yet we celebrate it with holiday hams that come from pigs who suffer a living death in filthy sheds, are crammed onto trucks for a terrifying journey to the slaughterhouse, and are hung upside down, and their throats slit,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s ‘Hell on Wheels’ truck is an appeal to everyone who eats pigs to remember that the meat industry is cruel and that going vegan truly celebrates life.”
Where: Outside The Pit Room, 1201 Richmond Ave., Houston
When: Tuesday, April 8, 12 noon
Afterward, the truck will visit the Honey Baked Ham Company locations at 5088 Richmond Ave., 14054 Memorial Dr. #B, and 13841 Breck St.
Why: Like humans, pigs dream when they sleep, enjoy listening to music, and show empathy for others who are happy or distressed. Yet in the meat industry, workers chop off piglets’ tails, clip their teeth with pliers, and castrate the males—all without pain relief. When the time comes for slaughter, they’re crammed onto trucks and transported hundreds of miles through all weather extremes without food, water, or rest. Every year, more than 1 million pigs die, and at least 40,000 others sustain injuries during transport to slaughterhouses. It’s common for pigs on the way to slaughter to suffer from heat exhaustion or even become frozen to the sides of trucks.
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 is filled with tips to help anyone looking to make the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
