PETA to Polka Theatre: Take Animals off the Menu During ‘Babe, the Sheep-Pig’ Production

For Immediate Release:

22 November 2016

Contact:

Jennifer White +44 (0) 20 7837 6327, ext 222; [email protected]

PETA TO POLKA THEATRE: TAKE ANIMALS OFF THE MENU DURING ‘BABE, THE SHEEP-PIG’ PRODUCTION

Group Urges Theatre to Go Meat-Free in Honour of Plucky Pig   

Wimbledon – After learning that Babe, The Sheep-Pig is coming to the Polka Theatre, PETA rushed a letter to the theatre’s chief executive, Peter Glanville, urging him to honour the little talking pig by taking animals off the venue’s café menu during the run – or even better, for good. As an added incentive, the group has offered to provide a supply of vegan hot dogs for the opening show.

“Many of the young children who will cheer for Babe would be horrified to learn that hot dogs are made from pigs like him”, says Kirsty Henderson, PETA’s senior campaigns coordinator. “Babe shows others that he’s not a piece of bacon or a ham sandwich but rather an individual with emotions and the ability to feel pain. What better way to honour the play’s message than by serving plant-based meals?”

A move to a meat-free café would be well in keeping with Babe’s legacy, as countless people have gone vegetarian after seeing the film adaptation. Its star, James Cromwell, went vegan after playing Farmer Hoggett and is now an outspoken advocate for animals.

PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat” – has documented that UK farmers clip or grind down many piglets’ teeth and cut their tails off without any painkillers. Before females give birth, they’re confined to farrowing crates so small that they can’t even turn around, let alone fulfil their strong urge to build a nest as they would naturally do. They’re forcibly impregnated over and over again, and each litter of piglets is torn away from them after only a few weeks and transported to fattening pens before eventually being sent to slaughter.

PETA recently released two eyewitness exposés – which can be viewed here and here – revealing that pigs languish in shocking conditions on UK farms.

PETA’s letter is available upon request. For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk.

#