Utah Denies PETA’s Request For A Turkey Memorial
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals asked the state of Utah to erect a roadside memorial for hundreds of Turkeys who died in a crash on April 24. The state doesn’t believe Turkeys deserve such an honor.
Amy Meyer, a Salt Lake City resident, sent a request to erect the memorial on behalf of People for Ethical Treatment of Animals Wednesday. The response from UDOT, which is addressed to Meyer, was written by region director TeriAnne Newell.
“I reviewed your request for a memorial sign on SR-189 near Deer Creek Reservoir,” Newell wrote. “This request does not meet the policy standards for roadside memorial signs and UDOT will not make an exception to the policy in this case.”
Current UDOT policy states the purpose of roadside memorials is to “provide an opportunity to recognize the needs of grieving families and friends in a way that is consistent with motorist safety and the department’s operations.” The memorials are also supposed to serve the purpose of reminding motorists to drive safely, according to UDOT.
Memorial safety signs are only installed after the department reaches a written agreement with the family of the person who died, but in her request to UDOT Meyers said this condition should be overlooked because turkeys in a factory-farming industry have no living relatives.
