No Turkeys for Disneyland This Year if Petition Comes to Pass- Disneyland Resort Slammed By Opponent

[dlfreak]

The harsh words from Farm Sanctuary president and co-founder Gene Baur regarding Disneyland Resort harboring the turkey each year...

"At Disneyland they don't' know how to properly care for them, and they feed them in such a way that they become overweight, which is what typically happens to these birds," he said. "We're hoping the president will send them to Farm Sanctuary where they will get the best care possible."

At least half of the turkeys that have been sent to Disneyland, however, have died within one year of arrival, Farm Sanctuary told MMN. Disney did not respond to Slashfood's request for comment.

Here's the full article from SlashFood:

Looks like Disneyland won't be getting the turkeys this year after a successful

While last year's national turkeys pardoned on Thanksgiving by President Bush found homes in Disneyland, this year a farm animal rescue group is petitioning President Obama to send the turkeys to them instead.

Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, N.Y., started an online petition, asking the president to let the national turkeys find homes in their turkey shelter instead of in the Magic Kingdom, Mother Nature Network reports.

"Historically these turkeys have been actually sent to farms where they're supposed to live out their lives, but they don't live very long lives," Farm Sanctuary president and co-founder Gene Baur told Slashfood.

"At Disneyland they don't' know how to properly care for them, and they feed them in such a way that they become overweight, which is what typically happens to these birds," he said. "We're hoping the president will send them to Farm Sanctuary where they will get the best care possible."

Since 2005 the national turkeys have found homes in Disneyland's Frontierland and have served as grand masters of the park's Thanksgiving Day parade.

At least half of the turkeys that have been sent to Disneyland, however, have died within one year of arrival, Farm Sanctuary told MMN. Disney did not respond to Slashfood's request for comment.

"These birds have been genetically bred to grow very fast and very large. Its common for them to die of a heart attack at just a year old or even younger sometimes," Baur said. "To prevent that you need to feed them a high-fiber diet that provides them with nutrients but that won't make them put on weight."

Farm Sanctuary has written a letter to the White House but has yet to get a response, Baur said. The White House declined to comment.

"Farm animals like all animals have feelings and they deserve to be treated with respect and given the best life possible," he said. "We're offing that here, and we hope the president takes us up on that."

If the national turkeys do wind up at Farm Sanctuary, they have next year's Thanksgiving feast to look forward to, Baur said. The shelter spends Thanksgiving feeding traditional fare to the turkeys. "They're the guests of honor instead of the main course."

Should the turkeys be going to Disneyland? Let us know in the comments below.

by Jennifer Lawinski
Posted Nov 19th 2009 5:30PM

[Nftysqrt]

What these people fail to disclose is that most turkeys there size don't even make it past six months. After spending much time with the workers from Circle D and knowing Yam and Marshmallow and the other turkey's the past years, they are in very good hands!

[dlfreak]

Does seem like a brash statement, it was always my understanding that these farm-bred turkeys are bred to grow quickly and get very fat and as such they don't live very long. Then again it's not like Farm Sanctuary is a random disconnected entity you'd think they know about raising turkeys.

[DisneyGurl87]

Found this when googling so granted it's not verified but it makes sense:

"The maximum recorded lifespan for a turkey in captivity is twelve years and four months. For turkeys living in the wild, the maximum is less than ten years, but the average life expectancy of a turkey, is males just over 2 years and just over 3 years for females. Domestic male turkeys often grow too large and to heavy to carry their own weight after their first year. Domestic turkeys bred for food consumption were not bred to live over one year."

I feel like this organization should be annoyed at the companies that breed turkeys in such a way so that they only live one year rather than trying to feed doomed turkeys special diets so they live an extra couple months..

[dlfreak]

^The ranch hands at Big Thunder Ranch also told us this, too. In fact as you mention, they even told us that they have special diets and limit food intake for the turkeys as it is in their nature to just keep eating themselves to death.

[1FoolishMortal]

Seems like a lot of hubbub over nothing and, once again, a random company trying to get publicity at the expense of Disney.

[cinder]

^ What he said.


It's so easy to put a spin on things.


Bring the dang birds. C'mon!

[dlfreak]

At any rate it seems a little late to bother now, I'm sure everything is already planned out by now. A ranch hand this weekend said they were in fact getting the turkeys this year.

[Tron 2.0]

I used to live in a house in Morro Bay which was located right next to a bird sanctuary.

That bird sanctuary was the home to a few dozen wild turkeys. The turkeys, sadly, did not understand that our street was not part of their sanctuary. They could often be found walking up and down the street in the early morning. These turkeys didn't "gobble gobble" so much as sound like the high pitched laugh of an old woman.

I was not infrequently woken up in the morning by the sound of wild turkeys. When I told my students this, they thought I was joking. Sadly, I was not.

Edit: Turkeys at Disneyland, please.

[PirateGuy 815]

Originally Posted by Tron 2.0

I used to live in a house in Morro Bay which was located right next to a bird sanctuary.

That bird sanctuary was the home to a few dozen wild turkeys. The turkeys, sadly, did not understand that our street was not part of their sanctuary. They could often be found walking up and down the street in the early morning. These turkeys didn't "gobble gobble" so much as sound like the high pitched laugh of an old woman.

I was not infrequently woken up in the morning by the sound of wild turkeys. When I told my students this, they thought I was joking. Sadly, I was not.

Edit: Turkeys at Disneyland, please.

I would have shot the damn birds.