Courtesy Photo / PETA
Animal rights group PETA has purchased this billboard near a San Antonio Petco store.
"Image a lifetime in lockdown," reads the sign, which shows a bird perched inside a confining cage. “Life in a cage is no life at all. Never buy birds.”
Officials with San Diego, California-based Petco, one the nation's largest pet and pet supply retailers, were unavailable for immediate comment. The corporation operates seven San Antonio stores, including the Nacogdoches outlet.
In a statement emailed to the Current, the animal rights organization said it's targeting Petco for selling "sentient beings to anyone with a credit card." The pet industry breeds birds in inhumane mills and frequently sells them to buyers unprepared to care for them over their decades-long lifetimes, the group added.
“There are no happy holidays for caged birds, who scream, tear out their feathers, and go insane under the stress of captivity,” PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said in the email. “PETA is calling on shoppers to steer clear of Petco, which will be on the ‘naughty’ list as long as it sells any animals as though they were home decor.”
PETA's billboard is located at a block away, at 14025 Nacogdoches Road.
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