Turkey Appeals to Kids: 'I'm ME, Not MEAT'

Turkey Appeals to Kids: ‘I’m ME, Not MEAT’

PETA Billboard Near Local Schools Encourages Families to Opt for Animal-Free Feast

For Immediate Release:
November 8, 2018

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

Houston –

Ahead of Thanksgiving and the H-E-B Thanksgiving Day Parade, PETA has placed a billboard near several schools in Houston showing a turkey’s bright, appealing face alongside the words “I’m ME, Not MEAT. See the Individual. Go Vegan.“

The billboard is located on Collingsworth Street, 100 feet east of Hardy Street (facing west), not far from four schools. It will remain in place for eight weeks.

“We hope this billboard will inspire families to consider who turkeys are—gentle young birds who don’t deserve to lose their lives for a fleeting taste,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “Children love animals and often don’t even realize that the turkey on the table was once a sensitive bird. PETA is calling on every kind soul to explore vegan dishes this Thanksgiving and celebrate life.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—notes that at least 44 million turkeys are killed in the U.S. each year for Thanksgiving and that 244.5 million were killed in total in 2017. In nature, turkeys are protective and loving parents as well as spirited explorers who can climb trees and run as fast as 25 mph. Turkeys in the wild can live up to 10 years, but those raised for food are normally slaughtered at 5 months old. The young birds are hung by their feet from metal shackles and dragged through an electrified bath. They’re often still conscious when their throats are slit and they’re dumped into scalding-hot water to remove their feathers.

PETA encourages everyone to celebrate Thanksgiving by taking its vegan “persuasion pledge“—and for every 100 people who do so, PETA pledges in turn to donate a delicious vegan dinner to a charity working with underserved families.

PETA offers a free vegan starter kit on its website as well as tips for a turkey-free, vegan Thanksgiving here, here, and here. For more information, please visit PETA.org.