Consider the turkey

I loved Peter Hartlaub’s engaging story: “Turkeys invade Alameda — and They’re Beloved” (Bay Area, Nov. 23). From the cop car “held up” by selfpacing turkeys to the fact that many residents love them, it was pleasurable reading. What doesn’t feel good are the more than 46 million turkeys consumed on Thanksgiving Day and the miserable, shortened lives those turkeys lead.

They are packed into dark sheds, genetically modified to grow as quickly as possible and are often crippled under their own weight — all to maximize corporate profits.

A turkey’s life span is 10 years, but these turkeys are slaughtered at 3 to 5 months.

The only daylight they see (because darkness makes them eat less) is on the way to the slaughterhouse where they are hung upside down and their heads dragged through a “stunning tank” to immobilize them. Some manage to dodge the tank and if their throats aren’t properly slit, they are scalded to death.

Turkeys love to run and scratch and take care of their families. It’s past time for people to transfer their concern to all turkeys, not just the ones they can see. Anne Gilbertson, Danville