Animal Photo of the Week: Kima

 
It seems like only yesterday that Kima was discovered on the doorstep of our New York Shelter hospital along with 65 other baby turkeys. While they were just tiny balls of yellow fluff at the time, these sweet poults had already been debeaked and detoed: tell-tale signs that they had come from a factory farm. In the industry, turkeys like Kima are packed together so tightly in warehouses that they have very little room to move. Under such circumstances, these normally social, gentle birds become stressed and frustrated, causing them to become more aggressive. But instead of altering their surroundings to give the poor birds more space, and thus prevent potentially injurious behaviors, producers remove portions of the turkeys’ beaks and toes, disfiguring the animals for life. Fortunately for Kima, she has only been handled with care since she arrived at Farm Sanctuary in 2008. Now all grown up, this outgoing turkey is thankful for friends like you who helped create a different end to her story. As one of our 2010 Adopt-A-Turkey Project superstars, she would love the chance for an adoption certificate with her photo on it to grace your holiday table this year as a reminder that everyone can choose compassion and save a life. If you’d like to sponsor her today for a one-time donation of $30, you can do so right here!