{"id":50384,"date":"2015-12-21T08:35:37","date_gmt":"2015-12-21T15:35:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=50384"},"modified":"2015-12-21T08:35:48","modified_gmt":"2015-12-21T15:35:48","slug":"the-real-cost-of-christmas-for-the-turkeys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2015\/12\/21\/the-real-cost-of-christmas-for-the-turkeys\/","title":{"rendered":"The Real Cost of Christmas for the\u00a0Turkeys"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Rantings From a Virtual Soapbox<\/a>\u00a0A blog in support of animal and human rights and the environment<\/em><\/h2>\n

Here in the UK an astonishing number of turkeys are killed each year.<\/p>\n<\/header>\n

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It is estimated that around 10 to 20 million turkeys are slaughtered in the UK every year just for Christmas \u2013\u00a0\u00a0in addition millions of other animals suffer and die including pigs, chickens, geese and ducks during this so called season of peace and goodwill. Odd way to celebrate the birth of a man whom many believe to be a man of peace by the massacre of millions of sentient creatures who suffer as we do, animals whose lives are as important to them as yours is to you.<\/p>\n

Here are the facts:<\/p>\n

\"Male_north_american_turkey_supersaturated\"<\/p>\n

Turkeys<\/strong><\/h3>\n

90% are kept in windowless sheds with as many as 25,000 other birds. Wild turkeys live for around 10 years, but those destined to be eaten are slaughtered when they\u2019re between 9 and 24 weeks old. It\u2019s not just turkeys though \u2013 millions of pigs, geese and ducks also suffer in a time of supposed peace and goodwill.\u00a0According to those organisations promoting turkey meat, Christmas just wouldn\u2019t be Christmas without\u00a0a traditional roast\u00a0turkey! But how \u2018traditional\u2019 is it really?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Please continue reading:
\nhttps:\/\/www.vegsoc.org\/truecost#.VI0z1jGsWUQ<\/a><\/p>\n

Worldwide <\/strong>it is really not possible to even estimate how many turkeys are massacred at Christmas time. As already mentioned here in the the UK it is around 10 to 15 \u00a0million, in the USA about 20 million with around 40 million on Thanks Giving, in \u00a0Australia between 3 to 5 million<\/p>\n

In the USA 20 million are slaughtered for Christmas and 40 million for thanks giving.<\/p>\n

Ben Franklin called turkeys true American originals.\u201d He had tremendous respect for their resourcefulness, agility, and beauty. Turkeys are intelligent animals who enjoy having their feathers stroked and who like listening to music, with which they will often loudly sing along. In nature, turkeys can fly 55 miles an hour, run 18 miles an hour, and live up to 10 years.<\/p>\n

But the story is very different for turkeys on factory farms<\/a>: They will be killed when they are only 5 or 6 months old and, during their short lives, will be denied even the simplest pleasures, such as running, building nests, and raising their young.<\/p>\n

Like chickens, the 300 million turkeys raised and killed for their flesh every year in the United States have no federal legal protection.More<\/span> than 45 million turkeys are killed each year at Thanksgiving alone, and more than 22 million die at Christmas.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Read more:
\nhttp:\/\/www.peta.org\/issues\/animals-used-for-food\/factory-farming\/turkeys\/#ixzz3LrmolLLv<\/a><\/p>\n

Cruel Farming of Turkey\u2019s<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here is how turkeys live their short wretched miserable lives<\/p>\n

Stuffed! \u2013 Viva! investigation of UK turkey farms\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Warning distressing images<\/strong><\/p>\n

Undercover footage of the conditions in which turkeys are reared on six farms \u2013 including two of the UK\u2019s biggest producers. The video shows overcrowded sheds, dead and dying birds, animals with gaping wounds, birds with one half of their beak removed and cannibalism. The companies involved are Bernard\u00a0Matthews (the biggest turkey producer in Europe), Kerry Foods (owners of Home Pride, Mattessons Walls and Greens), and farms in Braintree, Sevenoaks, Chichester and Devon<\/p><\/blockquote>\n