Let the Turkeys Live!

Yesterday, per tradition, the President “pardoned” a couple of turkeys.  Those celebrated birds were named Drumstick and Wishbone.  The names are a rather unfortunate reference to parts of their anatomy.  Still, having been selected for the White House ceremony, those turkeys will now happily retire to an enclosure called “Gobbler’s Rest” at Virginia Tech.  Sadly, 46 million other turkeys will not be as lucky.  That’s the annual consumption of turkeys on Thanksgiving.  And it breaks my heart to know that most of those birds lived miserable lives in large, dark sheds with up to 75,000 other individuals.  Those factory-farmed animals likely never saw daylight or felt the grass beneath their feet.  Instead, they waded through excrement and urine, which is known to cause painful ulcers on their feet and breasts.  And the air in these sheds was probably so polluted with dust, pathogens, and ammonia that many of the turkeys suffered from painful respiratory diseases and eye disorders.  It’s sad but true.

Carving Out a More Compassionate Meal

Oblivious to the suffering of these animals and determined to uphold “tradition,” many Americans believe that a Thanksgiving dinner is not complete without sliced turkey on the table.  Indeed, Thanksgiving Day is sometimes colloquially called Turkey Day.  Yet it’s possible to carve out a more compassionate, meat-free Thanksgiving and still enjoy a feast.  I can offer a compelling example.  Each year, hundreds of people celebrate a different kind of Thanksgiving meal at Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary in the beautiful Maryland countryside.

Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary is a 400-acre non-profit refuge for farm animals and wildlife located near Poolesville, Maryland.  The staff and volunteers at Poplar Spring offer care, rehabilitation, and permanent sanctuary for neglected, abused or abandoned farm animals.  The sanctuary also furnishes information to the public regarding farm animal and wildlife issues.  And Poplar Spring actively promotes compassion and humane treatment for all animals.

Thanksgiving WITH the Turkeys

So each year, the sanctuary hosts a special event called Thanksgiving WITH the Turkeys. It’s a cruelty-free vegan potluck where the turkeys are the guests of honor rather than an item on the menu.  Everyone who attends the event can enjoy a wide variety of delicious, meat-free dishes — although the turkeys always eat first.  Seems only fair.

Last Saturday I joined the fun at the annual vegan potluck — along with more than 800 other people.  Folks of all ages roamed the grounds and enjoyed meeting the animals.  We had the chance to see handsome horses, really big pigs, colorful peacocks, and many more critters… including handsome, full-feathered turkeys.  A particularly friendly female turkey allowed several of us to gather ’round and massage her shoulders underneath her wings.  It was truly a treat.

All of the animals at Poplar Spring are treated as individuals, not as commodities.  They all have names and stories.  And they will live out their lives with the respect and comfort that they deserve.

As for me, I’m thankful to witness compassion in action at the sanctuary.  And I’m encouraged to see the delight on young faces when kids meet the animals at Poplar Spring.  It gives me hope for an end to animal suffering.

The bottom line is that we, as humans, stand just a bit taller because of the folks at Poplar Spring.  After all, as Gandhi said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”  Poplar Spring shows us how to be our better selves.