An estimated 46 million turkeys are brutally slaughtered in the United States each year so that they can be consumed for Thanksgiving dinner.
Turkeys are raised on crowded, disease-ridden factory farms. Before they are even 72 hours old, baby turkeys have their beaks painfully cut off in order to keep the birds from attacking each other in their cramped enclosures. Due to deformities or the unbearable pain as a result of the debeaking, many turkeys starve to death because they are unable to eat.
Those who do survive are fattened up to grow far heavier than their natural weight and many end up too obese to even walk. At slaughter time, the torture only gets worse. Turkeys are violently shackled upside-down on a hanging conveyor belt while fully conscious and are dipped into an electrified water bath to stun them. Then, a mechanized blade slits their throats and the birds are plunged into a scalding water tank. Many of them wind up being boiled alive.
Turkeys and other animals are smart, sensitive creatures that do not deserve to be tortured for the sake of someone's dinner. If you're still looking for a reason to keep cruelty off your plate, here are five amazing facts about turkeys that prove they're just like us.
Keep cruelty off your plate this holiday season!
- Choose delicious, plant-based alternatives for your Thanksgiving feast. Most grocery stores carry vegan holiday roasts in the freezer aisles or produce section.
- Make every day cruelty-free! Download LCA's free Eat Cruelty-Free Guide to help you get started.
- Spread the word by educating your friends and family about veganism.
Click here to learn more about factory farmed animals.
Photo: Pixabay