ASHLAND, Pa. -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said it sent a letter to Ashland's mayor asking if the organization could put a statue of a cow near the borough's famous Mother's Statue.
PETA representatives said they sent the letter to Ashland's mayor last week before Mother's Day. Their hope was to get the borough to help them honor all mothers, including non-human ones. The inscription on the proposed statue would say, "Respect and honor all mothers. Go vegan."
The people Newswatch 16 spoke with are not in favor of a cow statue in the borough.
"I don't like it," Teresa Harbist of Ashland said. "A cow next to the Mother's Statue? No. That's degrading. I can't believe it. Whose idea was that?"
In 1938, the Mother's Statue was placed in the borough by the Ashland Boys Association. The organization formed after many coal miners in the area lost their jobs in the late 1800s. The statue symbolizes all of those workers returning home to Ashland. The Mother's Statue has been important to Ashland since it was put up 80 years ago, which leaves many people in the borough wondering why anyone would want to put a cow statue next to it.
"I think it would be better somewhere else," Amber Jeglosky of Ashland said. "I just don't know where."
Newswatch 16 spoke to a representative from PETA who said the organization wants the cow statue to be placed near the Mother's Statue to honor all mothers, including non-human ones. PETA wants to spread awareness for mother cows, which PETA believes are abused in the dairy industry.
Still, the idea does not sit well with people in Ashland.
"(The statue) has nothing to do with cows and vegans," an Ashland resident said. "So, I would put the statue somewhere else."
Ashland's borough manager said he did not receive a copy of the letter but did review the post on PETA's website. He declined to comment further on the statue or the letter.
PETA said it won't place a statue at the Mother's Memorial unless it has permission to do so.