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PETA Asks Maine Officials To Approve Memorial For Lobsters Killed In Crash
The five-foot memorial would stand at the spot where some 70 pounds of lobsters were killed.
A truck accident in Maine resulted in the death of dozens of pounds of lobsters, and now animal-rights activists are hoping to memorialize the spot where it happened.
A truck carrying between 60 and 70 pounds of live lobsters overturned in Brunswick on August 22, according to the Portland Press Herald, and while the driver of the truck survived with only minor injuries, the creatures met a tragic fate.
Several of the creatures were crushed when the truck rolled over, Brunswick police told CBS affiliate WGME.
Now, the activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals hopes to commemorate the tragedy, by marking the location with a public memorial.
The animal rights group sent a letter last week to the Maine Department of Transportation requesting permission to place a gravestone at the site of the crash, according to an August 29 press release. The tombstone would reportedly measure five feet and, according to a mock-up shared by the organization, would feature an image of a lobster alongside the words, “In Memory Of The Lobsters Who Suffered And Died At This Spot.” The suggestion “Try Vegan” would also be featured.
Ted Talbot, spokesman for the Maine Department of Transportation, told the Press Heraldthat PETA’s request is currently under review. All roadside memorials are considered “temporary signs” and, once erected, can remain in place for up to 12 weeks, Talbot said.
PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman wrote in the August release that “countless sensitive crustaceans” ended up experiencing an “agonizing death” when the truck they were being transported in crashed.
“PETA hopes to pay tribute to these individuals who didn’t want to die with a memorial urging people to help prevent future suffering by keeping lobsters and all other animals off their plates,” Reiman said.
This isn’t the first time PETA has campaigned for the rights of sea creatures in states known for their seafood dishes. Maryland may be the crab capital, but PETA is hoping to change that, having erected a billboard earlier this month in Salisbury calling for seafood lovers to think more deeply about what’s on their plates. The sign features an image of a crab and reads, “I’m me, not meat. See the individual. Go vegan.”
[Photo: PETA]
