To honor the four cows who were killed and the dozens of others who were injured and traumatized in a truck crash on I-41 in January, PETA has erected a sky-high memorial that asks everyone to see cows not as pieces of meat but as the individuals they are. The message is located on the way to the crash site and only 2 miles from the JBS slaughterhouse, where the survivors were presumably hauled off to be killed for human consumption.

“Cows feel pain and fear and value their lives, just as humans do, and don’t want to be crammed into trucks or carved up and eaten,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA urges everyone to see cows as the thinking, feeling individuals they are and go vegan.”

In 2023 alone, there were at least 72 documented animal-transport truck crashes. Millions of cows were trucked to slaughterhouses, where workers shoot animals in the head with a captive-bolt gun, hang them up by one leg, and cut their throat—often while they’re still conscious. Each person who goes vegan spares nearly 200 animals every year, dramatically shrinks their carbon footprint, and reduces their risk of suffering from cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and obesity. PETA’s free vegan starter kit can help those looking to make the switch.

PETA’s message is located near 2605 Monroe Rd. (Please see the Google Maps link here.)

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.