PETA Wants Roadside Memorial for 1,600 Pounds of Live Fish Killed in Irvine Car Crash

Priorities.

At the Los Angeles Times, "PETA wants memorial where fish died in Irvine car crash":

On behalf of a leading animal rights group, an Irvine woman is asking the city to erect a memorial at the street corner where 1,600 pounds of live fish died this month when a container truck was involved in a three-vehicle crash.

Dina Kourda, a volunteer with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, wrote to the Irvine Public Works Department to request that a sign be placed at the intersection of Walnut and Yale avenues to honor the lives of the fish -- believed to be saltwater bass -- lost in the accident.

The fish, the Orange County Register reported, were being hauled to a Ranch 99 Market, an Asian supermarket.

The fish had been stored in large tanks that cracked open as a result of the Oct. 11 accident. When firefighters opened the back of the truck, some fish flopped out, and others had already died. None of the people involved in the accident were seriously injured.

“Although such signs are traditionally reserved for human fatalities, I hope you’ll make an exception because of the enormous suffering involved in this case, in order to remind drivers that all animals – whether they’re humans, basset hounds or bass--value their lives and feel pain,” Kourda wrote.

Well, let's cut to the chase:

Craig Reem, a spokesman with the city of Irvine, said he was not familiar with the city’s procedure for dealing with such a request.

“I do think it’s fair to say we have no plans to erect a memorial,” he said.

You think?

The crash site is just down the street from my oldest boy's high school. I'm sure he'll be just crushed at the longs odds for a fish memorial at the site.