Animal Anecdote
The Day a Turkey and I Became Equals
How sharing with a turkey made me feel empowered
As someone who thoroughly supports animal rights, I believe we as humans have a certain role to play when it comes to protecting animals. Standing against animal-cruelty, preserving natural habitats, and adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet are all ways we can actively protect animals.
Yet, there still seems to be a sort of stigma around protecting animals, like you’re some sort of hippie-dippie human who rejects hamburgers for selfish reasons. Rejecting a hamburger is the opposite of selfish. It’s saving a life.
The Stigma
Why is there a stigma against protecting animals? Why do vegetarians and vegans get looked down upon simply because they wish not to support slaughterhouses and the cruelties of the animal product industry?
Unfortunately, there are a few diet fanatics that ruin it for everyone. They advertise veganism to the extreme, practically forcing people to avoid animal products or viciously guilt them into becoming a vegetarian for the day. This only pushes meat-lovers further away from the cause. They see vegetarians as taking away part of their freedom.
The Land of the Free
I understand — as an American I really understand. American culture bombards us with the idea that we’re in the “land of the free” and we have the “freedom” to make whatever choice we want. In terms of eating habits, yes I have no reason to inflict a diet on anyone as eating choices are a personal decision.
However, it pains me to see people chowing down on a pork chop, completely dismissing the fact that an animal violently lost it’s life only for you to have a meaty lunch. I know. I can’t decide for you — and I certainly can’t fall into the preach trap where my opinions only push people against me.
Instead, I have to find satisfaction, compassion, and quite frankly love for animals within myself. That’s no easy feat, especially when you’re used to being overly self-deprecating. It’s hard to find the light inside yourself when everyone turns their head at your decision to be a vegetarian.
No Less Than Mine
That all changed the day I met a turkey. As a vegetarian, visiting the animals for which I chose to save seemed only right. I wanted to see them thrive and enjoy life just as I do. I sacrificed following the social expectation of eating meat so they could continue to exist. Sometimes it’s hard to see why the sacrifice was worth it. But seeing these animals made my heart swell. It proved to me that I’d made the right choice. An animal’s life is no less than mine because it’s smaller and weaker and doesn’t speak the same language as me. An animal’s life is no less than mine because it makes annoying noises when it’s bothered. As far as I’m concerned, humans are far more guilty of that last accusation.
The Day I Met a Turkey
I was visiting an animal sanctuary a few years ago, excited to mingle with all the creatures that had been saved from slaughterhouses or other forms of abuse. I wanted to see them walking freely, eating, sleeping, breathing — it was a heart-warming sight. The farm offered tours and I was lucky enough to hear all the stories of these animals, where they came from, and how their lives had changed — or better yet been saved.
We made it to the turkey’s and my naive mind expected to see huge creatures with a crown of colors around its head, that weird pink thing hanging off its face. Instead, I found a flock of what looked like naked turkeys. Obviously, all turkeys are naked (at least I’ve never seen a clothed turkey) but these turkeys looked like a different kind of naked — like a piece of who they were had been stripped from there physique.
I learned that these turkeys had been born at a factory farm, born into conditions where their skin and feathers had become so sensitive and abused they looked nothing like society’s idea of a thanksgiving turkey. Their only defining feature were the white feathers that covered their bodies and the delicate light pink skin of their necks and faces.
Our guide offered to let a few of us into the turkey enclosure to feed them leaves of kale — how vegan of them I thought. I volunteered though, of course. I wanted to feed them kale and give them a gentle petting, to feel their soft white feathers.
I was handed a small container of kale leaves, just like those you’d find in someone’s kitchen ready for making a salad. Pulling small pieces from the container I waddled my way over to one of the turkeys, squatting low as not to intimidate it. We met eyes for a moment and right there in my soul I knew — this turkey and I were equals. We both walked this earth, breathed in oxygen — ate kale. The turkey pecked on the kale until happily swallowing it. With one of my clean fingers, I picked up a leaf and plopped it into my own mouth, chomping on the kale just as the turkey had done. I heard my mom in the background shouting a disgusted “eww” in my direction.
But I saw nothing disgusting about what I had just done. It was as if the turkey and I were sitting at my kitchen table eating dinner, both chewing on a kale salad. Except this time I was visiting the turkey’s house, sitting on the grass, locked in a ray of golden light, enjoying a sweet green.
Empowerment on a Small Scale
I felt empowered sharing with that turkey. It felt so pure in my soul to have been eating with the turkey rather than eating the turkey itself. It proved to me that I was saving a life — for real.
Everyone has the choice of whether they wish to eat or not to eat meat. It’s personal. In that sense, it’s also a personal responsibility to find joy within yourself as a result of what choice you end up making. Eating kale with a turkey felt so empowering. It proved a point — to me most of all. The turkey and I may never truly be equals in this world, but we were in that moment for which I will always cherish. It gave me hope. And for that I am grateful.
