School’s Turkey ‘Pardon’ Prompts Appeal: Show Students the Slaughterhouse

PETA Joins Concerned Student in Speaking Out Against Fundraising Bid That Asks Students to Raise Money to ‘Save’ Two Turkeys, Kill Two Others

For Immediate Release:
November 20, 2017

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

An appalled student at Chandler High School reported to TeachKind, PETA’s humane education division, that the school has a turkey “pardoning” fundraiser underway, in which students are raising money to “save” two turkeys and kill two others for Thanksgiving. In response, TeachKind has sent letters calling on the school either to pardon all the turkeys or take all the students to a slaughterhouse to witness the birds’ slaughter.

“A fundraiser that ends in sensitive animals’ deaths is no way to celebrate a holiday about gratitude and compassion,” says PETA Senior Director of Youth Outreach and Campaigns Marta Holmberg. “TeachKind is urging Chandler High School either to send all these turkeys to sanctuaries or show students that their choices have life and death consequences for the terrified birds whose throats are slit in slaughterhouses.”

TeachKind—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—notes that turkeys in nature are social, playful birds as well as spirited explorers who can climb trees and run as fast as 25 mph. While turkeys in nature can live up to 10 years, those raised for food are typically slaughtered when they’re between 12 and 26 weeks old. The young birds are hung by their feet from metal shackles and dragged through an electrified bath that can cause them to have full-body tremors. They’re often still conscious when their throats are slit and they’re dumped into a bath of scalding-hot water to remove their feathers.

TeachKind’s letter is available upon request. For more information, please visit TeachKind.org.