In Early May, PETA posted a press release on their site that announced that they had sent a letter to the Mayor of Ashland, Ray Walacavage, asking permission to erect a cow sculpture inscribed with the words “Respect and Honor all Mothers".
According to the press release and letter, "The sculpture would pay tribute to all the nonhuman mothers who also nurture their babies—especially cows used in the dairy industry, who form close bonds with their calves and produce milk for them, not humans, to drink."
“All mothers are loving and protective of their young—and this certainly includes mother cows whose calves are taken away from them, something that causes them great distress,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is hoping that Ashland will honor the universal devotion of mothers by adding a sculpture of a mother cow to its historic memorial.”
Since the press release, Mayor Walacavage has remained quiet on a response but during Wednesday's Borough Council Meeting, he responded.
"In response to the letter from PETA, I did receive a letter from PETA requesting to build a statue near the Mother's Memorial. The request is denied. The Mother's Memorial has been our shrine to all mother's since it was built in 1938. The Mother's Memorial has never been added to and never subtracted from."
Notes from the rest of Wednesday's Meeting will be available later in a separate story.