DLC Blog

Gentle Thanksgiving

Oh the wonders of Thanksgiving. The memories of family football in the leaves, tables and tables of delicious foods, the reuniting of family members you haven't seen in a year, and of course, the beautiful turkey.

Ever since Abraham Lincoln's inception of the holiday, it has become an American tradition and symbol of family, as well as a time to give thanks for all that is good in one's life. It is, for most, one of the most cherished holidays of the year. When one reflects on Thanksgiving, undoubtedly it goes back to the Pilgrims and Indians, or possibly to family memories, or maybe the smell of the food wafts back into your mind. But for animal activists, Thanksgiving is one of the most treacherous times of the year.

*Courtesy of Corbis Images

According to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) over 300 million turkeys are killed each year, with a large amount of those being for the Thanksgiving consumption. While PETA has been known for their various undercover animal rights operations, as well as their often wild tactics to garner public attention, they have established a certain amount of credibility with the information they have uncovered in regards to the ill treatment of animals. According to their website and based off of an undercover operation to the Butterball factory, the turkey, the American Thanksgiving symbol, spends the majority of its existence in overcrowded sheds, with as many as 25,000 turkeys in one building. Along with overcrowding, the turkeys are injected with various hormones, artificially inseminated, and various parts of their body are cut off in case the conditions of their home cause mental instability and the possibility of inflicting pain on other turkeys.

Along with poor living conditions, PETA points out various health benefits to not partaking in traditional turkey dinners. This includes cholesterol and saturated fats, and contaminations of the turkey flesh to certain bacteria’s.

While I for one enjoy a good turkey, not just because of its symbolic meaning, but because it is quite delicious, I do think that it is important to know what is going into your body, and also how that food came to be on your dinner table. Although this article is not meant to be making any grand political or animal rights statements, it is important to be a little more informed about food processing and consumption in America.

For more information please visit:
www.peta.org,
www.gentlethanksgiving.org

Posted by Mia at November 21, 2006 05:39 PM in .