Thanksgiving should be a time for celebration, not suffering. Yet, approximately 45 million turkeys — smart, social birds that enjoy taking dust baths, having their feathers stroked and gobbling along to their favorite tunes — are killed every year for Thanksgiving dinner.
Before they are killed, they spend several months packed tightly together in filthy, dark sheds, and flapping their wings is nearly impossible. To keep the birds from pecking one another in frustration, factory workers cut off a portion of their sensitive upper beaks with a hot blade — without using painkillers.
At the slaughterhouse, turkeys are hung upside-down, and their heads are dragged through an electrified “stunning tank,” which immobilizes them but does not kill them. Many birds dodge the tank and are still conscious when their throats are slit. If the knife fails to properly slit the birds’ throats, the birds are scalded to death in the de-feathering tanks.
If this doesn’t sound like something to give thanks for, consider what you can do to make things better. Visit www.VegCooking.com for humane holiday recipes and information on purchasing a ready-made vegetarian Thanksgiving feast.
Heather Moore
Senior Writer
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
