Turkey Saved Days Before Thanksgiving By Animal Rights Activists

RIVERHEAD, NY — As thousands of Americans prep their Thanksgiving birds on Wednesday, animal activists are celebrating after saving the life of a turkey, as well as a chick, destined for slaughter.

According to John Di Leonardo, founder and executive director of Long Island Orchestrating for Nature, LION representatives convinced a live New York City slaughterhouse to spare the life of a turkey, as well as a weeks' old chick they say was being "cannibalized in front of rescuers' eyes."

The birds were sent to LION's new headquarters in Riverhead, where they will receive medical treatment and rehabilitation before they are freed to "reputable homes or sanctuaries," Di Leonardo said.

LION did not pay for the birds, "as that would only perpetuate the cycle," Di Leonardo said. But they gave the live slaughter house owner a vegan roast "in exchange for their freedom," he said.

Last week, LION also distributed free vegan roasts to the staff at the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Center in Hampton Bays.

Di Leonardo also said he asked Miloski's Poultry Farm in Calverton to follow the lead of farms and slaughterhouses we've worked with over the years. "We asked them to find it in their hearts to spare a single turkey but they would not."

No one was immediately available at Miloski's to respond to a call for comment.

As an alternative to the traditional Thanksgiving fare, LION partnered this year with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, as well as other animal rights' group, including NYCLASS and Community Solidarity, and Councilman Justin Brannan in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to distribute hundreds of turkey-free meals on Tuesday.

Turkeys' lives have value, Di Leonardo said. "When it comes to having feelings, loving their families and valuing their lives, turkeys are individuals, just as much as any of us, and it is our pleasure to help kind people leave them off their plates this holiday," he said.

According to PETA, more than 46 million turkeys, many under 26 weeks old, are killed every year for Thanksgiving in painful and inhumane ways.

A Business Insider post said that the turkeys are hung upside-down and then stunned unconscious using an electrified water-bath system before they are killed, with some reports by the Humane Society indicating that they may feel pain during the process.

"These birds, however, will instead get to live, joining flocks in spacious homes where they will be loved and near eaten," Di Leonardo said.

Di Leonardo also thanked longtime animal activist and LION volunteer Rachel Levy Ejsmont, who, he said, was integral in convincing the live slaughterhouse owner to surrender and spare the birds.