‘We’re lucky…’; PETA ‘cautions’ about the ‘wild turkey’ after the Butterball controversy; Here’s all you need to know about them

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is in no mood to let bygones be bygones. The non-governmental organization (NGO) that works to end animal abuse and promote animal rights, has been quite active in the last few weeks, before Thanksgiving, raising awareness against animal cruelty for the sake of celebration.

As an undercover footage resurfaced on PETA’s social media profile, days before Thanksgiving, sharing disturbing accounts of the turkeys subjected to sexual violence and cruelty in the Butterball's Ozark, Arkansas facility, the major turkey manufacturer, Butterball, faced quite a backlash. The resurfaced video accuses Butterball employees of sexually abusing turkeys − and it's caused a stir online.

PETA did not stop there. The NGO that advocates for animal rights and stands against animal abuse, has urged people to reflect on their ‘choice’ while celebrating. Sharing and artwork of by an account that goes by the user id ‘freebison’, where a bunch of turkeys are see siting around a table as a roasted human shaped body takes the centreplace on the dinner table, PETA wrote, “We’re lucky turkeys would never do this to us—you don’t have to do it to them, either.”

PETA also provided the context to sharing the post where one can read up how turkeys are actually omnivores and if they are full-grown, they can potentially harm human beings.

Now, the information remains true as wild turkeys are large, distinctive birds that are active during the day, and they eat ‘just about anything they can fit in their mouth’. Read on to know more.

Wild turkey:

The wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is an upland game bird native to North America, one of two extant species of turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic turkey (M. g. domesticus), which was originally derived from a southern Mexican subspecies of wild turkey (not the related ocellated turkey).

An adult male (tom or gobbler) normally weighs from 5 to 11 kg (11 to 24 lb) and measures 100–125 cm (39–49 in) in length. The adult female (hen) is typically much smaller at 2.5–5.4 kg (5.5–11.9 lb) and is 76 to 95 cm (30 to 37 in) long. As per studies, the average weight of adult males is 7.6 kg (17 lb) and the average weight of adult females is 4.26 kg (9.4 lb). Considering its maximum and average weight, it is among the heaviest flying birds in the world.

What do they eat?

Wild turkeys are opportunistic foragers and can eat a wide variety of leaves, grass, seeds, berries, insects, worms, snails, frogs, and small reptiles. This allows them to thrive in a variety of natural habitats. Turkeys are omnivores and eat a variety of foods, including plants, insects, and small animals:

Plants: Turkeys eat leaves, buds, seeds, fruits, nuts, acorns, and grains.

Insects: Turkeys eat insects like spiders, centipedes, millipedes, snails, and slugs.

Small animals: Turkeys eat small animals like salamanders, frogs, and small reptiles.

Seasonal changes: Turkeys' diets change with the seasons:

Spring: Turkeys eat nearly any plant, including grass shoots, sedges, and flowers.

Spring and summer: Turkeys eat high-protein foods like insects, spiders, and snails.

Late summer: Turkeys eat grasshoppers, beetles, crickets, and fruits and seeds.

Fall: Turkeys eat nuts and fruit crops like acorns, beechnuts, and wild cherries.

Winter: Turkeys eat nuts, seeds, grains, and insects.

Are they aggressive or dangerous?

Wild turkeys in urban and suburban settings have been considered by some as nuisances, pests, annoyances, destructive, and aggressive. In these environments, the presence of turkeys can be infuriating by those who do not want them around. As urban and suburban turkey populations have grown, so have human–turkey conflicts. Turkeys may cause traffic hazards and congestion when crossing streets. They may foul sidewalks, walkways, roofs, gardens, decks, porches, parks, and other public places with their droppings. Toms can become aggressive during the breeding season, occasionally charging and threatening people, and damaging automobiles by “attacking” their reflection or jumping on cars. Their nonstop searching for food can destroy gardens, raised beds, new landscape plantings, and even turf.

Although turkeys are generally not dangerous, but they can become aggressive in certain situations:

Mating season: Turkeys are more likely to be aggressive during breeding season.

Dominance: Turkeys may attack people they view as subordinates.

Areas with people feeding them: Turkeys may become aggressive in areas where people have been feeding them.

Areas with scarce natural woodland habitats: Turkeys may become aggressive in areas with scarce natural woodland habitats.

Butterball controversy:

After an almost 20-year-old undercover footage resurfaced by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) on its social media profile, Butterball, a major turkey manufacturer in the United States of America, faced a major backlash and boycott ahead of Thanksgiving this year after. The clipping accused Butterball employees of sexually abusing turkeys. Posting the graphic video on their social media handle, PETA asked, “Was the “Thanksgiving turkey” sitting in the middle of your dining room table a victim of sexual assault?” An anonymous PETA investigator claims to have witnessed the workers at the facility sexually abusing turkeys. According to the investigator, the workers ‘brag about the abuse’. The disturbing footage also shows employees kicking and stomping on turkeys, and others boasting about how he struck the bird so hard that its eyeballs popped out. “One frustrated worker kicked a bird in the head and another broke a bird’s neck so that her head was touching her back. He laughed about this. Another worker was slamming birds into the shackles,” says the PETA’s investigator statement shared on PETA’s website. “One worker was inserting his finger into a turkey’s vagina [cloaca] for ‘fun’ during a break when the line was stopped. Another worker said he could paralyze birds by punching their necks in a certain way and demonstrated this on one bird,” the investigator adds.
Another statement of eyewitness said the workers sexually abused the bird, “One worker was inserting his finger into a turkey’s vagina [cloaca] for ‘fun’ during a break when the line was stopped. Another worker said he could paralyze birds by punching their necks in a certain way and demonstrated this on one bird.”

Commenters on the post were quick to share concern for the turkeys. One of them posed the vital question, "What can be done about this?"

One X user wrote, “Ummm. Not sure what to make of this. We have a butter ball in the freezer right now.” Another wrote, “I've never been more thankful I didn't buy butterball this year.” Someone else wrote, “Someone please tell me this is a lie. Butterball is the only freaking turkey we ever buy,” while another person wrote, “So now we need a new label like tuna has… THIS TURKEY WAS NOT abused… Omg!”

A Butterball spokesperson in a statement to The Independent said that they are ‘aware of a video from nearly 20 years ago, which is being re-shared across social media’. The spokesperson further added that this video is ‘not current and in no way reflects’ their animal welfare policies. In the statement, the spokesperson also stated that animal care and well-being are pivotal for their company, and they are committed to the ethical and responsible care of their flocks. The spokesperson further said that ‘maintaining the health and well-being of the turkeys is an ongoing effort’.