ROCK SPRINGS – PETA’s Hell on Wheels truck stopped at the McDonald’s restaurant on Sunset Drive to promote vegan diets Thursday, with some residents stopping to eat chicken and see the truck.

The Hell on Wheels truck was designed to raise awareness of the conditions chickens endure before they’re slaughtered for food. The truck has images of chicken inside cages printed on the walls of the box truck. The vehicle parked in front of the restaurant and played the sounds of birds, intermixed with a subliminal message for people to adopt veganism. Additionally, a small newsstand with free vegan recipes magazines was placed next to the truck.

Sky Morgan, the truck’s driver, said PETA doesn’t target one particular restaurant when deciding where it will send the truck, saying they park in front of events such as fairs and food tastings, as well as restaurants. The next stop on the truck’s tour is Salt Lake City.

Morgan said they go anywhere where people need to be reminded that animals aren’t just meant to be menu items. He said the only kind meal is a vegan meal.

“Behind every bucket of wings … is a living, breathing, sensitive individual that wanted to live,” he said.

With chicken, he said more than 10 billion birds are killed every year for food, with another 20 million being killed because of avian flu. Morgan said the response has been overwhelmingly positive and people have been open to PETA’s message.

The visit from PETA did attract residents to the restaurant.

Navarre Mudd brought his son to the restaurant for lunch and to look at the truck because demonstrations don’t typically happen in Rock Springs. Mudd said Morgan was brave for driving the truck to Rock Springs. 

“During hunting season, it’s a pretty brave move,” he said.

Mudd also questioned why the organization had to be “so gratuitous” in promoting vegan lifestyles.

Ory Johnson and Maddox Ice sat on a truck tailgate outside while eating chicken, watching the truck from the McDonald’s parking lot. For Johnson, the message goes against what he was taught growing up on a ranch that raised cattle and chicken.

“Going vegan goes against everything I grew up believing in,” Johnson said.

“I think it’s a load of crap,” Ice said, agreeing with Johnson’s thoughts.