The Nov. 23 article (“Turkeys gone wild ruffle Oakland feathers”) regarding the wild turkeys… The Nov. 23 article (“Turkeys gone wild ruffle Oakland feathers”) regarding the wild turkeys living in Oakland seemed to serve no other purpose except to put these animals up as objects of ridicule. Throughout the article, the people quoted could not see past these turkeys as being either living targets or walking meals instead of individual beings who have needs of their own.

Turkeys are one of the most abused animals on Earth. Every year, more than 300 million are bred for slaughter in the United States. Like other animals unfortunate enough to be raised for food, they are packed into filthy factory farms where they are barely given space to move. Their beaks and toes are chopped off without any painkillers in order to stop stress-induced fighting.

Turkeys’ bodies have been genetically engineered to grow abnormally large and fast, and they often display excessive difficulty walking or standing because their legs can’t support the weight of their grossly enlarged bodies. Escape from this suffering only comes through a violent death. At the slaughterhouse, they have their throats slit, often while conscious because the Humane Slaughter Act, which requires animals to be stunned before slaughter, does not cover birds.

Turkeys are intelligent, curious animals with individual personalities — not mere automatons. The contemptuous attitude and scornful mindset toward turkeys displayed in the article is exactly what allows the level of cruelty inflicted upon them to continue unquestioned. We owe turkeys — whether they are our Oakland neighbors or the ones imprisoned on factory farms — a lot more respect and compassion.

Sincerely,

Candice Zawoiski, Volunteer

Voices for Animals of Western Pennsylvania (Pitt Chapter)