BUCKEYE, Ariz. — A judgemental chicken stares down its beak at Interstate 10 drivers through a billboard coming soon to the Valley. The message nearby reads “If everyone were vegan, it wouldn’t have happened.“
The "it" in this case is a fire that happened on Saturday at Hickman Farms that killed more than 160,000 chickens.
"The billboard is to commemorate, not only the animals that died in the fire, but all those other ones suffering on that farm daily," said Amber Canavan, a senior campaigner for PETA.
Canavan said the billboard will be near the chicken farm of Hickman Farms' headquarters.
12 News reached out to Hickman Farms for a statement about the billboard. In an email, the farm said "We are devastated about losing our chickens, the fire was tragic.”
Canavan said the reason why PETA makes scenes or tries to make headlines after a mass animal casualty event is that that's when they can have the biggest impact.
"These are a couple of moments that someone is actually taking a pause to think about them," Canavan said. "A tragic incident like this fire that killed all these birds can be someone's wake-up call. You bet we are going to take it."
While interviews 12 News conducted in a local park indicated otherwise, Canavan said these tactics are leading to progress.
She pointed to more vegan options making the mainstream. She also said PETA is having a record number of people use their organization's vegan starter kits.
A vigil is planned for the lost chickens on Wednesday.