How to create a compassionate Thanksgiving
The first time I met a rescued turkey up close was at a farmed animal sanctuary in New York state about 10 years ago. Unlike the scrawnier, brown-feathered birds roaming Marin’s open spaces, turkeys destined for the dinner table are bred to have white feathers, and are unable to fly due to their weight. They also, it must be said, absolutely enjoy receiving scratches underneath their wings. That’s right — just like a cat or dog, turkeys that have learned to trust humans really appreciate a nice massage.
Unfortunately, few commercially bred turkeys ever have the opportunity to experience kindness at the hands of humans. According to Animal Place, a farmed animal sanctuary located in Grass Valley, an estimated 46 million of these incredible birds are slaughtered every year for Thanksgiving alone. And just like the curious, silly and adorable rescued turkeys that live in sanctuaries and happily interact with visitors, every one of them is a unique individual with its own personality.
Turkeys raised for human consumption are crowded into poorly ventilated industrial production facilities, sometimes with as many as 15,000 birds packed into a single factory building. They’re bred to grow rapidly and unnaturally large. This can result in skeletal deformities and heart problems so severe that even at a young age they often struggle to walk. Unable to express any natural foraging or dust-bathing behaviors, confined turkeys tend to scratch or peck at each other in frustration — and rather than offering more space or enrichment, factory farms instead resort to cutting off the tips of their beaks and toes without anesthesia.
It’s not always easy to break with traditions, especially if they bring a sense of comfort, togetherness and home. A Thanksgiving without the turkey may sound like an incomplete holiday. The good news is that a lot has changed since Turtle Island Foods created the first Tofurky in 1995 — priced at $30 and the butt of jokes on late-night talk shows — meat-free Thanksgiving roasts are now abundant, affordable and absolutely delicious.
In fact, Tofurky sales have skyrocketed in 2020.
“Health, concern for animals and environmental reasons all play a part in driving this upward trend and with the advancements in flavor and texture of plant-based products, this is also a major reason for the category’s expansion,” says Seth Tibbott, founder and chair of Turtle Island Foods.
It’s time to say goodbye to cruel traditions, especially on a holiday that’s all about gratitude. This November, I’m thankful for the many delightful plant-based alternatives found in virtually any grocery store and the abundance of creative recipes available online. Whether you’re a faux meat aficionado like me, are up to the challenge to create your own seitan or chickpea roast from scratch or simply prefer a healthy whole-roasted cauliflower skillet, there are countless ways to leave suffering off the Thanksgiving dinner table this year.
By the way, a great way to continue to have a turkey as part of your Thanksgiving tradition is to sponsor one. Farmed animal sanctuaries typically offer the option to “adopt” one of their rescued turkeys. For more information, go to farmsanctuary.org/adopt-a-turkey or animalplace.org/ sponsor-a-turkey.
Carina DeVera is the digital marketing manager at Marin Humane, which contributes Tails of Marin articles and welcomes animal-related questions and stories about the people and animals in our community.
Go to marinhumane. org, Facebook.com/ marinhumane or email lbloch@marinhumane. org.