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Americans are adopting a new Thanksgiving tradition: ‘adopting’ turkey Instead of consuming them.
As a result, Gus the turkey is experiencing Thanksgiving week very differently than millions of other birds across America. walking through a stretch animal Sanctuary At Colorado Plains, he is often stopped by staff to pet, hug, or gently kiss his red face.
Gus has been living there since 2023 after the governor’s pardon. “What do you think? Do you want to snuggle today?” Lanette Cook, education and engagement manager at Erie’s Luwin Arms Animal Sanctuary, asked Gus.
Gus is one of a growing number of turkeys that are being “adopted” rather than covered in gravy and eaten on the Thanksgiving dinner table.
A growing number of farm animal sanctuaries across the country have begun promoting this alternative version of Thanksgiving in which families “adopt” turkeys and donate money for their lifelong care. In return, they get photos, certificates and sometimes even a personal meeting with the birds.
The goal: to save some of the millions of turkeys that are killed this time of year, many of which are raised in inhumane conditions in factory farms, according to animal rights advocates.
Some people will adopt one for themselves and put a picture of their turkey on their Thanksgiving table, while others will give the adoption gift to friends or family members.
At Luwin Arms, a $25 donation comes with a certificate, photo and a virtual or in-person appointment, said Kelly Nix, its executive director. Since launching the program in 2022, the sanctuary, located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Denver, has doubled the number of sponsorships each year. And this year they’re on track to reach their goal of $18,000, he said.
Luvin Arms’ website features Gus and a group of turkeys with their personality traits (Gus is very talkative!) as part of its Sponsor-a-Turkey program. It encourages the public to donate to birds for Thanksgiving and perhaps even reconsider their holiday traditions.
This money has helped pay for expanding the turkeys’ outdoor pasture area as well as feeding and rescuing more turkeys. They’ve helped with veterinary bills, which can sometimes cost thousands of dollars because of the medical complications that arise for turkeys coming from factory farms that breed them to grow very large in a short period of time, Nix said. According to the National Wild Turkey Federation, turkeys live an average of three or four years in the wild.
But the sanctuary says the program is about more than just turkeys or money. There’s also an important educational factor, whether learning about the conditions of factory farms or how turkeys are more than just centerpieces.
“Even if it makes you stop and think again about what you’re going to do,” Nix said. “Or you say, ‘Wow, this is the life of a sentient being,’ for us that’s the beginning of the conversation.”
Farm Sanctuary, which is based in New York and California, is believed to be the first place to start this type of turkey adoption program, beginning in 1986. Its president and co-founder Gene Bauer said that initially the public was confused not only about the program, but about the concept of rescuing farm animals altogether.
In the nearly four decades since then, the sanctuary has rescued thousands of turkeys. And the public has not only embraced the concept but also donated hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years, Bauer said.
Bauer said, “We grow up with certain traditions. But just because something is a tradition doesn’t mean it needs to stay as a tradition.”
Barn Sanctuary has a similar program running in Chelsea, Michigan through 2023. Chase DeBeck, its advocacy, education and engagement coordinator, said it’s about shining a more positive light on birds and their unique personalities.
He teases some of the residents of the organization as if they were close friends: Lewis is not a very sociable person, but he likes to spend time with girls. Sabrina and Hilda are always interested in what people are bringing into the house and what everyone is doing.
“All you hear about is dead turkeys,” DeBeck said. “And so we really wanted to highlight the unique personalities of turkeys and how loving and caring they are to humans and to each other.”