One of the nation’s leading animal-welfare groups is asking for approval to build a memorial for cows that were killed in a truck crash last month in northern Arkansas.
In a news release, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said it sent a letter to the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department seeking permission to install a 5-foot-tall tombstone next to the scene of the wreck on Arkansas 5 in Baxter County.
The headstone would feature a photo of a cow to the right of the words “In Memory of the Cows Who Suffered and Died at This Spot, September 2016. Try Vegan," the release said.
"PETA's roadside memorial will remind livestock transporters that the least they can do is drive safely, while letting all travelers know that the best way to prevent such tragedies is to keep animals off the road in the first place by going vegan,” PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said in the release.
In the letter to Perry Johnson, head of the highway department’s Right of Way Division, Reiman said the memorial would be placed 1 quarter-mile from the state's border with Missouri. It would be far enough away from the road to not interfere with traffic.
PETA said a Sept. 25 truck crash “killed and grievously injured numerous cattle.” In the letter, Reiman said the truck rolled over while on its way to a slaughterhouse.