PETA to put up billboard honoring slain cattle in Indiana

MUNCIE, Ind. — PETA says it will rent a billboard to pay tribute to the cattle that were killed and injured last month when a semi tractor-trailer overturned on an Interstate 69 exit ramp.

The intent of the billboard — displaying the image of a cow next to the words "I'm ME, Not MEAT. See the Individual. Go Vegan" — is to point out that "we can all prevent further animal suffering and death by choosing only cruelty-free food," the organization said in a news release.

"If anyone is horrified by these crashes, the billboard will let them know there is something they can do about it," PETA spokesperson Amber Cavanan told The Star Press. "They can change their lifestyle so they're not supporting this cruelty … Every vegan saves 100 land animals a year."

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association, the voice of the American beef industry, says what's unfortunate about the incident is that "animal rights activists have chosen to capitalize" on it.

In the news release PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman was quoted as saying: "This overturned truck killed nearly 20 gentle cows, and the ones who survived are most likely back on their way to the slaughterhouse. PETA's billboard will let travelers know that the best way to prevent such tragedies is to keep animals off the road in the first place by going vegan."

The image of an individual cow will appear on the billboard because "people might not see them as living, feeling, intelligent beings," Cavanan said."They see them as meat. We are trying to change that by reminding everyone that they feel pain, they have families, and they don't want to be trucked to a slaughterhouse, hung upside down and have their throats slit."

The truck driver, Chester Smith, 69, Stanton, Ky., told police he was northbound on I-69 at 60 mph when a car switched lanes right in front of him, forcing him onto the exit ramp  where his rig rolled onto its left side on a hill. It happened around 4:20 a.m. on June 11.

The 38 cows being transported to a slaughter house in Michigan were trapped in the trailer. Workers used saws to cut through the wreckage to free the animals. Some were shot to death due to serious injuries. The dead animals were lifted by chains onto a fork lift and loaded into a dump truck.