For Thanksgiving, let’s do without turkeys, these beautiful birds that Benjamin Franklin called “true American originals.” Well, a lot of good that did them! More than 46 million are killed each year at Thanksgiving alone.
Ben Franklin admired their resourcefulness, agility, and beauty. In nature, turkeys can fly 55 miles an hour, run 25 miles an hour, and live up to four years. Yet turkeys raised for food are killed at the age of 5 months and – during their short lives – will be denied even the simplest pleasures, such as running, building nests, and raising their young.
But let’s not only think about turkeys, let’s also think about ourselves.