Hi all,
X'mas is just round the corner and I will stick to my resolution for 2010 not to buy any presents for friends and family members. Main reason is I need to save money for a rainy day. At the same time, there are lots of stuff I have bought which have never been used and which can be given away as gifts... and X'mas is as good as any other time to do so!
The yuletide is a time of celebration and a remembrance of Jesus' birth. Malaysians, regardless of religious beliefs, will go all out to have a good time then. The unique multi-cultural makeup of our land gives everyone of us a good excuse for merrymaking at each other's religious and cultural festivities. That is the spirit of being a true-blue Malaysian!
While we are all revelling and having our share of fun and joy, let's not forget also to be reminded of our compassion for lesser beings... ... ...
Ever wonder how many turkeys will be slaughtered and roasted every X'mas just so we all can have a traditional Christmas dinner? Thanks to a friend who sent me this article to help us think twice before we pile our plates at Thanksgiving Day this year and every year thereafter. May you be blessed with a truly joyous Christmas!
ANIMAL CRUELTY - Turkeys in Farms
Link: http://www.veganpeace.com/animal_cruelty/turkey.htm
Turkey is a very popular meat product and often the centerpiece at Thanksgiving celebrations. What happens before the turkeys reach the stores and dinner tables however, is absolutely horrifying.
Happy Thanksgiving? Not for turkeys! about 40 million turkeys are killed each year for Thanksgiving.
If you would like to find out more about turkeys, you are welcome to visit my Animal Facts Turkeys page.
Factory Farms
Most turkeys are raised on factory farms. They are packed together in very overcrowded sheds, where each bird has only 3 square feet of space.
"Debeaking" and Toe Cutting
Living in overcrowded conditions creates an enormous amount of stress for the turkeys, which causes excessive pecking and fighting. To keep them from hurting or killing each other, farmers cut off the ends of their beaks and toes. No anesthetics are used. For some turkeys it is so painful to eat with their mutilated beaks that they will starve to death.
Antibiotics and Genetic Engineering
Antibiotics and genetic engineering have been used to make a lot of changes in commercial turkeys. On my Animal Facts Turkeys page you can see what wild turkeys look like. Wild turkeys are even able to fly short distances and often sleep in trees.
Commercial turkeys have been altered to grow twice as fast, become twice as large, have white feathers and abnormally large breasts. All these changes have caused serious health problems like collapsed lungs, swollen joints, crippled feet and heart attacks. Commercial turkeys are also unable to reproduce naturally and are artificially inseminated instead.
Transportation
When the turkeys are 14-18 weeks old they are ready for slaughter. Workers will usually grab them by their legs and throw them into crates. The crates are then stacked on the back of trucks. In the winter some turkeys freeze to death and in the summer some die of heat stress. It is legal to transport farm animals for up to 36 hours without food, water or rest.
The Slaughterhouse
In the slaughterhouse, the turkeys are hung by their feet on a moving rail while fully conscious. First, their heads are submerged in an electrified "stunning tank". This tank immobilizes them, but doesn't render most of them unconscious. After this their throats are slashed by a mechanical blade. Some birds are missed and continue on still conscious. The next step on the assembly line is the scalding tank. The turkeys are submerged in boiling water to remove their feathers.
This is nothing to be thankful for. Don't buy turkey and definitely don't include it in a family celebration.
For further reading:
http://www.all-creatures.org/anex/turkey-cruelty-4.html
http://www.chooseveg.com/turkey-slaughterhouse.asp (watch the video)
http://www.peta.org/feat/nc/index.html
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