by Susie
Because dogs and cats have a monopoly on the term “companion animal,” it may come as a surprise to many people that farm animals make great companions too! As the national shelter director of Farm Sanctuary, I’ve befriended hundreds of animals, all of whom were victims of the “food animal” industry. Of all these friends of mine, the turkeys possess some of the most stand-out personalities.
As part of our annual Adopt-A-Turkey Project, we run an adoption event, in conjunction with our Farm Animal Adoption Network, called Turkey Express through which you can also form a lifelong friendship with these outstanding birds! Since the first event in 1986, we have placed more than 600 turkeys in safe, permanent and loving homes throughout the U.S.
Last year, we made several stops on the Turkey Express, including one in Ridge, New York, where Autumn and Avon were personally delivered to new caregiver Pat Stapleton. Avon was one of more than 60 debeaked and detoed poults left at our New York Shelter in 2008 while Autumn, likely an escapee from a live market, came to us after being found scrounging for food in the streets of Harlem. Together these two have spent the past year at Stapleton’s home where they have been treated like friends, not food.
This year, we are gearing up to place more turkeys with doting “parents,” so keep your eyes peeled for news on our next stops in the weeks to come!
