By Nupur Apte
The turkey symbolizes togetherness, family, and a deep love for those around you. But the same birds we worship for the month of November are victims of unspeakable crimes and criminal, repeated abuse. The world of turkey breeding and farming is one home to true evils, and it is up to us, Thanksgiving fanatics, to stand up for our beloved birds.
They are bred and raised in “grower” houses, many of which look like this:
Look familiar? Well, you may be thinking of this:
The image above is the CECOT prison, located in El Salvador, which primarily houses suspected drug dealers, users, and MS13 gang members.
Furthermore, turkeys are packed and crowded, and to prevent them from pecking each other to death, their toes and upper beaks are cut, with no promise of painkillers or anesthesia waiting. The turkeys are also subject to gross overfeeding, which can disable and ruin their legs, rendering them flightless and immobile. Through the five long months of breeding season, they are kept like this, with accompanying cruelty and stress disorders prevalent throughout. The torturous ride to the slaughterhouse marks the end of their journey, helped only by the fact that their misery might end soon. They are then hung by their immobile, useless feet, and dragged through a bath, meant only to stun, not to humanize the process in the slightest. However, many dodge the bath, leaving them alive as they are brutally struck by a knife. Should the knife malfunction and not properly kill, the bird’s terror is further stretched, finally leaving them boiled alive as they go through the scalding defeathering machine. We should be proud to know these beautiful creatures; their treatment is unjust, uncalled for, and inhumane. This Thanksgiving, let’s extend our gratitude to our feathered friends and show the kindness that defines the Holiday, instead of the usual tears at our tables.