BRUNSWICK, Maine — Norfolk-based animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals asked officials for permission to erect a 5-foot tombstone to mark the site of an August truck crash that spewed lobsters into a Maine road.
PETA said it wanted to memorialize the "countless sensitive crustaceans" that were killed during the Aug. 22 crash in Brunswick, Maine, according to a Wednesday release from the group.
In a letter sent to PETA on Thursday, the Maine Department of Transportation denied the request, citing traffic safety reasons.
Had it been approved, the gravestone would have read "In Memory of the Lobsters Who Suffered and Died at This Spot" and urge people to "Try Vegan," according to a mockup published by the group.
The crash referenced involved truck carrying 7,000 pounds of lobster. After the truck rolled over, traffic backed up for hours as crews attempted to clear the street of the crustaceans.
Brunswick Police Department told local CBS affiliate WGME-TV that several lobsters were crushed as a result of the crash.
Roadside memorials can only be placed near a road for up to 12 weeks and are limited in size by state law, MaineDOT spokesman Ted Talbot told The Portland Press Herald.
PETA said it hoped the memorial would discourage passerby from eating the sea creatures, which are often boiled alive in the food preparation process.
7,000 lbs of lobster spill onto Route 1 in crash
The attempt is the latest activism effort from PETA to make national headlines.
Last week, the group funded a billboard showing a picture of a crab with the words, "I'm me, not meat. See the individual. Go vegan" in Baltimore.
A few days earlier, the group succeeded in its efforts to change the packaging of Barnum's Animals, a classic Nabisco snack — removing the cages that once held the exotic animals pictured on the iconic packaging.
Contributing: The Associated Press.