WALDRON, Ark. — PETA promised to place a billboard near the site of a crash where a truck carrying chickens overturned on Highway 71 near Square Rock Creek in January, and now it's up.
The billboard honors the memory of the chickens who were killed in the crash and calls for everyone to see chickens as individuals—and go vegan.
"If PETA's message of compassion inspires just one driver to go vegan, then these gentle birds won't have died in vain," says PETA Director of Campaigns Danielle Katz. "We can all eat delicious vegan food and prevent animals from suffering on the side of the road or under the slaughterhouse knife."
Residents in Scott County told 5NEWS they didn't think PETA's message would carry much substance with the locals.
"Well, I think it's crazy, and I'm going to stand there and get a chicken leg where they put it up," said Waldron resident Debbie Fain.
The crash on PETA is referencing happened on Monday, Jan. 20, and blocked traffic for hours as crews cleared the roadway.
Arkansas State Police said in a crash summary that there were no injuries due to the crash, but family members of the truck driver reached out to 5NEWS to confirm that the driver did sustain injuries.
PETA states that there were more than 100 crashes in 2019 involving trucks carrying animals used for food—and there have already been 22 since the start of 2020.