PETA Fights for Lobsters

WorldNetDaily reported yesterday about a PETA project in Maine.

While the myth that lobsters scream when they're placed in boiling water has been debunked numerous times, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has taken on the burden of providing voices to the voiceless lobsters with the creation of the Lobster Empathy Center in the former Somerset County jailhouse [in Skowhegan], according to a report in the Bangor Daily News.

PETA sent a proposal to county commissioners to lease the jail building to be used for the tribute to lobster suffering. The proposed lease was assumed to be a publicity stunt by the realtor handling the sale of the property.

Commission Chairman Phil Roy found humor in PETA's choice of location for the center.

"I’m shocked and I don't know what to say. I didn't realize Skowhegan was the coastal community PETA was looking for," Roy said, jokingly.

Skowhegan is an inland town more than 50 miles from Rockland, home of the Maine Lobster Festival. The nearest body of water is the Kennebec River.

"The lobster capital of the state of Maine certainly isn't here," Roy said.

But PETA representatives chose the location not because of its proximity to anything related to lobsters but because it's a former jail.

"A prison is the perfect setting to demonstrate how lobsters suffer when they are caught in traps or confined to cramped, filthy supermarket tanks," PETA wrote in a June 2 letter to the commissioners. "The center will teach visitors to have compassion for these interesting, sensitive animals while also commemorating the millions of lobsters who are ripped from their homes in the ocean off the coast of Maine each year before being boiled alive."

The proposal also included a concession stand that would include faux lobster treats, and children would be given free stuffed toy lobsters with the words, "Lobster Are Friends, Not Food" written on them.

Gee, I wonder where they got that slogan...

The article describes PETA's plans for their Lobster Empathy Center in more detail, but the project is still in questionable status. The county wants to sell the prison, not lease it out, but PETA's proposal involves leasing the property. If they can't come to terms, lobsters might remain food for much longer.