Holiday Ad Makes It Clear That Pigs Are No Different From Dogs When It Comes to Feeling Fear and Pain
For
Immediate Release:
December
8, 2011
Contact:
Kristin
Richards 202-483-7382
Toledo, Ohio -- How would children feel if Fido and Fluffy were honey-baked and served for dinner? That's what PETA is asking this holiday season with a new billboard that shows an animal who's a cross between a pig and a dog. The billboard reads, "Kids: If You Wouldn't Eat Your Dog, Why Eat a Pig?" The group plans to run the billboard near Toledo schools in the hope that it will spark a dialogue between kids and their parents about the more than 100 million pigs—and billions of other animals—who are killed and eaten in the U.S. every year.
"Pigs are as smart and sensitive as the family dog, yet we treat them like nothing more than meat machines," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "We are asking kids—and their parents—not to eat pigs and other animals and to stay true to the spirit of the holiday season by choosing humane and delicious vegan fare instead."
Pigs are sensitive and intelligent animals who, in their natural surroundings, are social and playful. They bond with one another, just as dogs do. They have been shown to enjoy listening to music, playing with soccer balls, and even playing video games. But on factory farms, workers cut off piglets' tails and castrate male pigs without using painkillers. Eventually, they are crammed into transport trucks for a terrifying journey to the slaughterhouse. Sows used for breeding are confined for their entire lives to metal crates so small that they can't turn around.
For more information, please visit PETA.org or click here.