2 Turkeys, Rabbit, Rescued Just Days Before Thanksgiving By LI Animal Advocacy Group

RIVERHEAD, NY — An animal advocacy group on Long Island has rescued two turkeys and a rabbit — just in time for Thanksgiving.

According to John Di Leonardo, executive director of Humane Long Island, the pair of 3-month old turkeys — now named Mayflower, Plymouth, and Autumn — were rescued from New York City live slaughter markets.

The organization negotiated the animals’ release by offering vegan food in exchange for their lives, demonstrating a "peaceful and cruelty-free alternative" to traditional holiday practices, Di Leonardo said.

The young turkeys are recovering from serious injuries and neglect inherent on factory farms, he said. Both birds had the ends of their toes cut off — a standard practice on factory farms used to limit the effects of self-harm and cannibalism in overcrowded conditions — and arrived suffering from staph infections and open wounds, Di Leonardo said.

All three animals will be evaluated by a veterinarian and rehabilitated at Humane Long Island’s Riverhead sanctuary before being placed in reputable vegan sanctuaries where they will receive lifelong care, he said.

"These turkeys are affectionate, inquisitive individuals who love their families and value their lives just as we do," said Di Leonardo. "This Thanksgiving, we encourage everyone to let turkeys live in peace by serving a savory vegan feast we can all be thankful for."

Humane Long Island added that in nature, turkeys spend their days caring for their young, building nests, foraging for food, taking dust baths, and roosting in trees, and they can live for more than 10 years. But turkeys raised for food are slaughtered within the first few months of their lives, often when they're still peeping, he said.

Humane Long Island is hosting a vegan Thanksgiving fundraiser on Sunday, November 30, where the public will have the opportunity to meet the turkeys at the Long Island Buddhist Meditation Center, located at 5268 Sound Avenue, in Riverhead. Details can be found at Thanksliving: A Compassionate Thanksgiving Celebration.