One hundred buses were meant to be serving up some food for thought from PETA this Christmas, but at the last minute, London Buses refused to run the group’s advert on the grounds that it may cause offence.
The ad, which had been approved by Transport for London, shows a glazed and roasted dog’s head on a platter next to the words ‘If You Wouldn’t Eat Your Dog, Why Eat a Turkey? Start a New Tradition. Go Vegan.’
PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that ‘animals are not ours to eat’ – notes that in Nature, turkeys are protective and loving parents as well as spirited explorers who can climb trees and run as fast as 25 miles per hour.
In the wild, they can live for up to 10 years, but those killed for food are normally slaughtered between 12 and 26 weeks of age. The young birds are often hung from metal shackles by their feet and dragged through an electrified bath that can cause full-body tremors.
Some are still conscious when their throats are slit and they’re placed into scalding-hot water to remove their feathers.
‘It’s shameful and confusing that PETA’s campaign was rejected when Londoners are bombarded with ads selling turkey corpses. What is truly offensive is killing gentle birds – who have the same capacity to feel pain as the dogs with whom we share our homes – for a fleeting moment of taste.
‘PETA’s ads ask everyone to offer some comfort and joy to all living beings this Christmas by enjoying a festive meal that doesn’t have a dead animal’s corpse as the centrepiece.’
ELISA ALLEN
PETA director
Click here for more on the vegan Christmas recipes shared by celebrities.
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