People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals released a statement Wednesday saying its executive vice president, Tracy Reiman, sent a letter to Caldwell Mayor Garret Nancolas, asking for the street name be changed to a "kinder alternative." The letter lists "Chicken Road" as a possibility. Chicken Dinner Road, however, is not in the city of Caldwell but in rural Canyon County, The Idaho Statesman reported.
"We’re not trying to ruffle any feathers, but words matter and have the power to change lives, both human and nonhuman," the letter said. "Chickens are intelligent, sensitive animals who feel pain and empathy and form strong bonds with one another, and they shouldn’t be considered 'dinner.'"
The animal rights group said it's willing to contribute money to cover the cost of the new signage.
Nancolas hasn't responded to media requests for comment.
Joe Decker, a spokesman for Canyon County, told the Statesman he has heard from some residents who don't want the name of the road changed. He also said he doubted the county commissioners would change the name “based on a letter from PETA.”
“It would require a public hearing and we would have to notify all property owners having frontage on the affected road at least 30 days before the public hearing,” Decker said. “An application and fee are also required for an unincorporated county road name change.”
It's unclear how exactly the road got its name, as there are competing stories. According to one such piece of local lore, the street was named when a resident prepared her famous fried chicken dinner in an attempt to get then-Gov. C. Ben Ross to fix the road, Fox reported.
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