Seasonal & Holidays
PETA Turkey Billboard Urges Denver To Go Vegan For Thanksgiving
"You don't need that turkey leg. I do," reads the message urging Denver residents to try a meat-free Thanksgiving.
DENVER, CO — Just before Thanksgiving and the Mile High United Way Turkey Trot, a new billboard placed in Denver by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) urges you to pass on the turkey this year and try a plant-based Thanksgiving.
The billboard is at the intersection of South Colorado Boulevard and East Florida Avenue, on the left side facing south. It will be in place for one week, the organization said.
The sign features a turkey's face with the words: "You Can Live Without That Turkey Leg. I Can't. Go Vegan This Thanksgiving."
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"We hope this billboard will inspire people to consider who turkeys really are—gentle young birds who don't deserve to be strung upside down and slaughtered for a fleeting taste," said PETA President Ingrid Newkirk in a press release. "PETA is calling on every kind soul to explore vegan dishes this Thanksgiving and celebrate life."
Similar ads have been placed in cities across the U.S. leading up to Thanksgiving, including inside airports in Rapid City, South Dakota, and Akron, Ohio, as well as on billboards in Minneapolis, Boston, Las Vegas, Houston and Fort Myers, Florida.
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More than 46 million turkeys are expected to be eaten on Thanksgiving and another 22 million for Christmas, according to the National Turkey Foundation.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that "animals are not ours to eat" objects to the slaughter practices of domestically raised turkeys. In a press release, PETA says:
In nature, turkeys are protective and loving parents as well as spirited explorers who can climb trees and run as fast as 25 mph. Turkeys in the wild can live up to 10 years, but those raised for food are normally slaughtered at 5 months old. The young birds are hung by their feet from metal shackles and dragged through an electrified bath. They're often still conscious when their throats are slit and they're dumped into scalding-hot water to remove their feathers.
Intimidated by tofurkey? PETA offers a free vegan starter kit on its website, as well as tips for a turkey-free, vegan Thanksgiving here, here, and here.
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