Cruelty for the Holidays
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

From United Poultry Concerns (UPC)
November 2013

What is really perplexing this year is that Michael Vick, the poster person for the Wayne Pacelle's Humane Society of the United States' "animal cruelty" campaign, was having his "Team Vick Foundation" hand out frozen turkeys from a church last Friday.

Article by Maite Kropp, The Reporter, Nov. 28, 2013

Twenty-three years ago, Karen Davis founded United Poultry Concerns, an organization incorporated in Maryland. Repulsed by the suffering of poultry factory farming, she was inspired to bring awareness to the meat-eating population and teach them that they can be healthy without having to slaughter chickens and turkeys for consumption.

Having a doctorate in English, she emphasized her goal through educational programs created through her nonprofit organization. In addition to enlightening the public about the sordid poultry trade, she also runs a sanctuary for rescued poultry.

Some Reporter readers may remember a story about Vacaville's Animal Place rescuing hens that were about to be killed because their egg producing farms had deemed them no longer "egg producers."

Last September, Ms. Davis adopted 50 of those chickens from Animal Place. Recently, she conferred in her newsletter that the birds are thriving in free-range life.

According to the National Turkey Federation, the American public contributes to the death of 46 million turkeys on Thanksgiving Day.

It is mind-boggling that numerous families who love their dogs, cats or birds disregard the fact that the dead turkey on their table was once as sentient a creature as their companion animals. Do people disassociate feelings for the turkey because they buy it as a processed, frozen packaged item at the supermarket?

What is really perplexing this year is that Michael Vick, the poster person for the Wayne Pacelle's Humane Society of the United States' "animal cruelty" campaign, was having his "Team Vick Foundation" hand out frozen turkeys from a church last Friday.

I guess Pacelle's pal Vick ignores the fact of animal cruelty taking place in factory farms. Perhaps, Pacelle has not been an effective mentor.

Vick stated: "Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on our blessings and spend time with family. I am thankful to give back to my community."

Some of my peers believe that Vick missed an opportunity to speak out against animals suffering in factory farms; others went on to say that Vick probably could not relate to the suffering of factory-farmed birds after he and his friends inflicted cruelty and pain on countless innocent dogs.

This Thanksgiving, Sacramento's KVIE-TV will present at 8 p.m. a PBS nature documentary, "My Life as a Turkey," by naturalist Joe Hutto [The "My Life as a Turkey" documentary can also be viewed online.]

His story will enlighten and educate all about how the life of a wild turkey is different from turkeys bred for human ingestion, such as the 46 million factory-farmed turkeys slaughtered for this "Thanksgiving Day." 


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