In an unusual demand, an Indian American has asked for permission from local authorities in upstate New York to erect a temporary roadside memorial in honour of 11 cows killed in an accident last week.
"Following last week's truck crash in Albany, which resulted in the deaths of at least 11 cows, I am writing as an Albany resident to ask that you permit me to place a 10-foot tombstone memorial for one month on the right-of-way on Rock Road at Switzkill Road to commemorate the lives lost in this deadly crash," Amrit Singh wrote in a letter to Albany Commissioner.
The memorial will be provided by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) of which Singh is a member.
Singh and PETA hope the memorial will offer food for thought to motorists in New York, a state with a prominent cattle industry, and get them to question all the ways in which cows suffer, a statement said.
"This tribute will let commuters know that the best way to prevent tragedies such as this one is to go vegan, because cows should not have to make terrifying trips to feedlots and slaughterhouses at all," Singh wrote in her letter to Darrell Duncan of the Department of Public Works.
"The memorial will also help prevent future accidents and make the roads safer for everyone by reminding tractor-trailer drivers of their responsibility to the thousands of animals they haul every year as well as to the motorists whose lives are endangered when a tractor-trailer crashes," Singh said.
According to local Times Union newspaper, a two-level 18-wheeler was hauling about 100 cattle when the crash occurred in Albany. The driver and a passenger were not hurt.
The paper, however, did not give the number of cows that were killed in the accident.
