There Will Be Blood: At Raising Cane’s Grand Openings, PETA Will Display What Chickens Face at Slaughter

For Immediate Release:
February 13, 2026

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

PETA supporters will deliver a shocking message to those attending the grand openings of Raising Cane’s in Santa Ana and Costa Mesa, when a woman will be hung upside down and have her throat “slit” to demonstrate how chickens are killed for those “chicken fingers.” The pro-vegan displays are designed to illustrate the point that every chicken raised for their flesh meets a terrifying end, and that human beings and chickens are the same in all the ways that matter, including their experience of pain and fear.

“PETA asks anyone thinking of eating chicken to think about how these curious, social birds are killed before they end up in a fast food bag,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “It is cruelty to animals to ignore the suffering of chickens and other animals, and it’s so easy to go vegan.”

PETA offers a free vegan starter kit for anyone thinking of making the switch.

Where:           Raising Cane’s, 1303 N. Bristol St., Santa Ana

Raising Cane’s, 1595 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa

When:             Tuesday, February 17, 8:30 a.m. (Santa Ana)

Tuesday, February 24, 9 a.m. (Costa Mesa)

Why:               Chickens are social learners who watch and emulate one another. They form strong bonds, dream when they sleep, and worry about the future, just as humans do—but 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. At slaughterhouses, mechanized blades slit their throats—often while they’re still conscious—and many are scalded to death in de-feathering tanks.

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. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.