Meet the Turkeys - Maya

From now until Thanksgiving, it's all about the turkeys who call Animal Place sanctuary home. As you meet the turkeys, I hope you will reconsider the main course for the upcoming holiday. To help you, I'll be adding recipes and purchase suggestions at the end of each post. All of these entries are in honor of the turkeys not lucky enough to end up at a sanctuary...spare them a thought this holiday.
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Yesterday, I received an email update from an organization that accredits farms with less cruel treatment of animals. It was announced, proudly, that just in time for Thanksgiving, several farms that killed turkeys for a living had just received high marks.

There is no doubt that the life of a turkey on pasture is far different in degree of enjoyment and treatment than the life of a turkey on a large industrialized farm. You will not get that argument from me.

However, I cannot help but think of Maya. She is from one of those "really awesome" farms. I think she is one of the prettiest turkeys (next to Margaret who has an inner beauty that shines) I've ever met. Because the farm she lived on had poor fencing, she was able to wander off it as a young poult.

A wildlife rehabber found her, near death, along with a young wild turkey. Both found a safe haven with this person...someone who saw two young birds in need of compassion and respect. She could not bear the thought of either being felled by a hunter's arrow or butcher's knife.

Because both turkeys were so malnourished and dehydrated, they needed a lot of extra TLC. Which meant the turkeys imprinted on people instead of other turkeys. Releasing the wild turkey was out of the question and obviously Maya, with her white and black feathers, would fare poorly in the great unknown. So they came to Animal Place.

When Maya started doing this:

We had to rethink the whole keeping a wild turkey business. It was bad enough the wild turkey (Quinn) kept flying on the roof, refused to sleep in the barns at night, and routinely flew out of his enclosure and then complained about it...now he was teaching Maya his "bad" behaviors!

Despite wing clippings, both turkeys managed to get into places they should not have. The decision to rehome Quinn was made, and he ended up at a nice 40-acre home with other wild turkeys.

Maya immediately stopped leaping over tall buildings. She stopped being faster than a speeding bullet. Oh wait. Anyways, she started to hang out with the other turkeys, finding solidarity with two other turkey hens we suspect came from the same farm years ago.

Maya is called a Royal Palm, a breed of turkey smaller than traditional production breeds. She is the smallest turkey at the sanctuary...even the best littlest turkey baby, Miwok the Ewok, is close to weighing more than her!

Fun fact, those "dots" on her head are called caruncles!

Maya likes to get her sharp beak full of side dishes for Thanksgiving!

She recommends tasty sides like Mac 'n Cheeze, hoity-toity Maple and Tarragon Sweet Potatoes, MASHED POTATOES FOR YOUR FACE, gravy for your mashed potatoes face, even more mouthwatering mashed potatoes and gravy. Maya is totally channeling me there - mashed potatoes are the best!

Previous Turkey-Friendly Entries include Morris and the Main Course (of which he is not it), Willow of the French accent and cranberry side. 

Meet The Turkeys - Willow

From now until Thanksgiving, it's all about the turkeys who call Animal Place sanctuary home. As you meet the turkeys, I hope you will reconsider the main course for the upcoming holiday. To help you, I'll be adding recipes and purchase suggestions at the end of each post. All of these entries are in honor of the turkeys not lucky enough to end up at a sanctuary...spare them a thought this holiday.
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J'accuse.

Look it up, it's French. Willow thinks it a lot. If she spoke French, she'd utter it frequently in a nasal tone. This is because she mocks others, please don't take offense.

Willow is from a junkyard. I cannot say she was being raised for her flesh - she was nearly a year old when we rescued her (most turkeys are killed when they are only four months old). I can say that her life before Animal Place was one of deprivation and danger.

The lot she lived on was littered with broken glass, wreckage from damaged cars and years' worth of garbage. She was not the only victim. The property also housed nine rabbits in a cage so small, they could barely turn around. Ducks and geese lived in deplorable, unsanitary coops with no access to water. When animal control confiscated all the animals, life changed for the better.

Willow is not a socialite. She does not curve her body to the contours of another on the perch at night. During the day, dust bathes are not social events spent gossiping with the other turkey hens. Willow is a loner. I am not sure if this is from her lack of socialization early on or if this is just who she is. The beauty of a sanctuary is it does not matter. Willow gets to be whomever Willow wants to be.

Unlike the big white and bronze-breasted production turkeys, Willow is a rangier, smaller bird. Her breed is raised for their flesh and called "heritage" as if this is something for which to be proud. While I have no doubt Willow is a proud bird, it's not for her flesh or because of her breed. Willow can fly and roost on the highest perches. If she wanted, she could fly into Morris' enclosure and mate naturally - a feat production turkeys cannot do. (She does not want.)

We don't know Willow's age, but I think we underestimated it. She suffers from recurring health problems normally seen in older animals. She receives special treatment, sometimes to include subcutaneous fluids. I can say she does not enjoy it. There is an ache in all of us here for causing a small discomfort in order to heal. Maybe I should try French with her.

On a side note, Willow reminds me of why turkeys are one of the closest living relatives to dinosaurs...those ancient animals who had more in common with birds than reptiles. Look at her! I have a public fantasy of attaching (humanely, don't hate) little tiny arms to the chickens and turkeys. Then I would create this amazing back drop of some big city but miniaturized and let the chickens and turkeys stomp their way through. It would be pretty awesome.

RAWR! GIVE ME LITTLE ARMS DARNIT!

Alternatively, you could just make this Thanksgiving awesome with some animal friendly noms. If Willow sat down to eat with you, I think her favorite dishes would involve cranberries.

Willow approved cranberry dishes:

• Cranberry Slaw
• Cranberry-Pear Wild Rice Stuffing

A moment of your time, please. I love the jellied cranberry goop - you know, the kind in a can with the can ridges in the middle of it. LOVE. I get mocked mercilessly for this. One year, there was an epic debate of jellied versus sauce and I lost big-time because APPARENTLY I'm the only one who likes the stuff. Which I doubt, because why is it always in the supermarket? And also, it lasts like forever.

So if you are a secret jellied cranberry goop lover, check out this vegan version!

Alternatively, you can go the non-jellied route (whatever).

Previous Turkey-Friendly Entries include Morris and the Main Course (of which he is not it).

Meet The Turkeys - Morris, The Man

From now until Thanksgiving, it's all about the turkeys, especially the ones lucky enough to call Animal Place sanctuary home. As you meet the turkeys, I hope you will reconsider the main course for the upcoming holiday. To help you, I'll be adding recipes and purchase suggestions at the end of each post.
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RESPECT!

Morris is the sole male turkey at Animal Place. He lives with Matt, the rooster. They make for an odd couple in size but not in personality. As my colleague likes to say, Matt and Morris are territorial. Which means, please do not stick your fingers near their beaks.

When Morris first arrived a year ago, he was not always so "territorial". He was downright friendly, the kind of turkey who would trill sweet nothings to anyone interested.

The story of Morris before Animal Place is not unique. Morris and four other turkeys were being raised for the California State Fair. None of the turkeys were seen as individual animals worthy of respect and compassion. They were "specimens" to be shown and slaughtered.

As the Fair approached, the man raising the turkeys decided it was too much work. These five animals were apparently so troublesome, so difficult to care for that he dumped them in the middle of the wilderness. I don't say "wilderness" in a vague, nonspecific way. I mean he dumped them in the middle of the woods and fields, left to fend for themselves.

The white feathers on production turkeys is a genetically recessive trait that rarely occurs in the wild. White is not a great predator deterrent. White feathers, however, leave the flesh of the turkey visibly  more appealing to consumers. This unnatural, poor adaptation is actively chosen solely to create a more physically appetizing flesh.

Morris and the four other turkeys tried to fend for themselves. Three of the turkeys died, killed by predators. Two, Morris and Marjorie (who you will read about later), lucked out. An Animal Place supporter saw the hapless birds and became their advocate. She rescued the two birds and drove them to us.

The two malnourished birds thrived under our care and both are healthy adults. Morris loves displaying his brilliant white feathers to anyone interested. The flesh around his face changes colors, depending on his mood. When it turns all red, Morris is especially angry at the world. When its red along the neck and blue/white around the face, Morris is in love with the world. They truly wear emotions on their sleeves, erm, snoods and wattles!

Here is a video of Morris showing off. No music, because turkeys sing beautifully on their own. His song is a mix of "hey ladies" to the female turkeys and a "i will be dictator of the universe" to me, behind the camera.

Celebrate this Thanksgiving for and in honor of the turkeys. Show your gratitude and compassion by omitting them at the dinner table.

Turkey Alternatives

I personally love Tofurky. I like to marinate it in an orange juice-soy sauce that is a mix of sweet and salty. There are a lot of marinades that enhance the flavor of Tofurky.This is probably the most accessible commercially available turkey alternative. The tofurky loves a grill as much as you do.

Field Roast has a Celebration Roast and Gardein has Savory Stuffed Turk'y

Or you can make a new tradition with a home-made main course. Think outside the box - butternut squash stuffed with wild rice, fanch-schmancy pants Tempeh Stew with Wine and Mushrooms, or homestyle Vegan Meatloaf.

Happy World Vegan Day

In 1944, the Vegan Society was founded. Every November 1st, vegans and those on the path to veganism celebrate World Vegan Day. Nearly 70 years late, those of us who choose a plant-based diet and a vegan lifestyle have so many more options. We have the founders of groups like the Vegan Society to thank for that.

A couple weeks ago, my mom and I were making home-made applesauce. The apples were fresh picked from a neighbor's tree. We decided to enter the 21st century and invest in a peeler, corer, slicer device that did it all - you just turn a handle. Really, it's a fabulous invention. I've never been a great peeler of apples.

As I turned the handle, my mom prepared the pot for the apple slices, a little bit of sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg that transform apples into an even tastier treat.

I thought about my grandma. Any time I bake or make something "home-made" with my mom, I can't help but think of grandma. I see the lessons she taught my mom every day. My grandma recycled before it was cool. She loved to bake. She loved to make healthy, tasty treats. When my mom makes banana bread, I feel connected to my past, to all those mothers who made the exact same recipe years ago.

If my grandma was still alive, I think she would have loved the amazingly positive aspects of veganism. I don't know if she'd be vegan, but I do know she would have reveled in making me vegan bread and low-sugar deserts. She would have appreciated how healthy and sustainable a vegan diet is, how it nurtures growth of both body and heart. How it appeals to both our mind and soul.

I'll be honest, I don't think grandma would have understood my passion for animals. That's okay. I am vegan because I believe that when we are given the choice to cause less harm to others, we should. Others do it because it makes them feel healthier, because it's a diet based on sustainability and good stewardship.

Here is a recipe of my grandma, veganized. It's very tasty.

Ingredients:
Enough Ener-g egg replacer for 3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 c chopped walnuts
1 c chopped dates
1 c flaked coconut
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
Powdered sugar, enough to coat the balls

Directions:
Add to the egg replacer the sugar, walnuts, dates, coconut, vanilla extract, almond extract. Mix together.

Place mixture into casserole dish and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Let mixture cool. When mixture is cool, form into small balls and roll in powder sugar. Eat.

Protest The Grand National Rodeo in California

For 70 years, the Cow Palace has hosted the Grand National Rodeo.

Recently, animal lovers caught footage of bulls being kicked, shoved, poked with sharp implements and being stunned with electric cattle prods. It is obvious from the footage that the animals are afraid and in pain when prodded and kicked.

In this video, you can see a man use a retractable pen as a weapon, stabbing it repeatedly into the flanks of the bulls being prepped for riding. You will see "cowboys" step on, kick at, and mistreat a cream-colored bull who does not wish to move forward. The bull is hit repeatedly and the strap around his groin is tightened in an attempt to get him to move. His tail is twisted and pulled in an effort to cause a pain avoidance response of moving forward. Finally, an individual uses what appears to be a cattle electric prod to move the animal forward.



Is this really an American "past-time" to be proud of?

The use of electric prods is a violation of California state animal cruelty laws. The rodeo company responsible for the bulls in this video - Flying U Rodeo Company - was fined in 2008 by the City of Hayward for using illegal electric prods.

What YOU Can do:

Live in the Bay Area? Attend the protest this Saturday
The protest will be at the Cow Palace

Cow Palace

2600 Geneva Ave

Daly City, CA

Between 6:00-7:30 pm

Signs and banners will be provided by the promoters of this event. 

Don't Live in the Bay Area?

Andrew Zollman, founder and director of LGBT Compassion, notes that "the Mounted Unit of the San Francisco Police Department  has been performing at this rodeo.  We have reported these violations to the Tactical Company of the Police Department  and expressed concerns about the City of San Francisco supporting this illegal animal cruelty. The Police Department is investigating and considering whether or not it will continue to be involved in this rodeo."

 

Contact: Captain John Loftus, Tactical Company, 415-832-8300. Discourage the Mounted Unit of the San Francisco Police Department from participating in this rodeo, especially in light of footage depicting violations of our state's anti-cruelty laws.

The Art of Misdirection

It's because carrots don't scream

Elizabeth Farrelly is a writer in Australia, and she has opinions!

Her most recent opinion is entitled, In a vegetarian's world, no one can hear a carrot scream.

She is totally serious too.

"And who's to say carrots don't feel pain when mercilessly chopped, diced or julienned? Why is it not arrogant and unfeeling to boil a beetroot?"

Oh no, never heard that one before! 

Last time the world checked, plants lack a central nervous system. They don't have pain receptors. Cows, goldfish, pigs, dogs, horses, chickens, cats, parrots, rabbits, sheep, goats, turkeys, humans...they all do.

People who argue plants experience pain always seem to do so in context of an animal rights debate. Do they sit down to a salad and, in front of their friends and family, seriously expound on the suffering the apple endured being pulled from its branch? Do they honestly tell their friends that the pain a dog feels when he is beaten is no different than the "pain" a carrot "feels" when it is pulled from the ground?

If so, they'd at least be consistent!


"You don't hear the same lobbyists for bacterial rights or even fish. Isn't the moral push for vegetarianism still anthropocentric, still just a form of speciesism? And doesn't this make it, at best, inconsistent? On the one hand, we're told we shouldn't eat animals because they're just like us - animals. On the other hand, we're still special. There's no push to stop lions or grisly bears or currawongs or even Chihuahuas eating meat."

Bacteria? Seriously, bacteria? Bacteria are single-celled organisms with no central nervous system or nociceptors. They are incapable of complex emotions or thought. Fish are multicellular vertebrates with a central nervous system, pain-sensing neurons, and are capable of experiencing emotions, suffering. They can use tools, for crying out loud! Social fish species form complex relationships.

Reducing the suffering in this world is possibly anthropocentric - after all, humans seem to be the cause of most suffering. Modifying our dietary choices to reflect a consistent ethic of least harm or being more kind and compassionate, more sustainable...those are not anthropocentric reasons for being vegan. If someone argued that veganism is great for human health, and the health of humans is all that mattered, then yeah, that's a fair anthropocentric argument. It's not an ethical one, though, so Farrelly's supposition falls flat.

And appealing to nature? Really?!? Like lets look at lions for insight on what is and is not acceptable behavior. There's a reason no one walks up to a male lion and demands they stop killing offspring sired by other male lions. It's because he'd totally eat you. A lion has no biological choice in who she eats. If she wishes to pursue a life worth living (i.e. one in which she doesn't starve to death), as an obligate carnivore, she's going to have to kill another living being. And it is sad and sucks and nature is just a generally amazing and brutal place.

Should we use that as a marker for our own behavior?

Those of us lucky to live near grocery stores or able to have balcony, backyard, community or larger gardens can easily choose a diet that is sustainable, affordable, healthy and compassionate. That is, a plant-based diet. I'm not going out on a limb presuming Farrelly is one of the privileged in that regard. If a person can reduce their reliance on animal products but cannot eliminate them entirely, that's fine. Nurture compassion by adding fruits, veggies, grains and legumes while - whenever possible - reducing/removing meat, dairy and eggs.

Being vegan is about ethics. When we choose kinder options, we impact the world around us. If we are faced with two choices and one is to cause less harm, it is our moral imperative to pick that one. Even if it is uncomfortable or misunderstood.

Ella Taller Than A Barn!

Ella is actually small but loves it when I take photos giving the illusion she is the height of a barn.

Last year, Ella did not even have a barn to call home. She escaped from a dairy farm, no longer interested in being milked or bred or losing her babies to auction.

The farm could not catch her, because Ella is wily and smart. She evaded capture and soon the farm gave up. Animal control tried to catch her and they too failed.

A woman noticed the lone goat and started the long process of befriending her. She bought hay and grain. She opened up a small barn for the goat to nestle down in at night, if she so desired. At no point did she ever push Ella.

But Ella needed a family, a herd. Other neighbors were not so kind, not interested in a goat running through their unfenced yards. Some were letting their dogs chase the little white goat. And others threatened to shoot her.

The woman needed to act fast. She called us and we drove out trailer out that day. A lone goat very quickly can become a dead goat. We thought it would take days to catch her. She would not come near us, and the sound of the trailer and truck frightened her.

We asked the woman to try. We hid, out of sight. It took her fifteen minutes to get Ella into the back of that trailer. Fifteen minutes. That doesn't encapsulate all of what it took to save Ella - it took an immense amount of patience and kindness too.

Now Ella is with a herd of rescued goats. She will live out her life at the sanctuary.

And she loves being taller than a barn!

Fish Are Super Cool - They Use Tools

This fish uses tools, people, tools! The fish digs up clams (sorry, buddies) swims over to a rock and uses that rock as a tool to bash open the clam!

Backyard Slaughter Reality Check

Not the actual rooster, Lord Byron was adopted!

She wrung their necks. I found two of them alive in the garbage.

We have a board in our office with a log of animals needing homes, requests from the public to rehome unwanted farm animals. It used to be the list for the month would fill 1/2 of the white board.

Now we need twice the space to keep up. The majority of them are about roosters, victims of the backyard chicken movement.

Two weeks ago, we received a  disturbing phone call. A man had found four of his roommates roosters in the garbage. Two of them were still alive. The woman had bought day-old chicks from a hatchery, four ended up roosters. When neighbors complained, instead of contacting the animal shelter or trying to find a home for them, the woman tried to break the animals' necks. She failed on two of them.


We rarely take roosters. Last year we rescued 140 chickens from a hoarder and 70 were roosters. It took a year to place the healthy ones. The rest remained with us, putting our rooster count in the double digits. Balancing the desire to help as many animals as possible with the welfare of our current chicken population is tricky, but it does mean we cannot take in even a small percentage of the roosters we get calls about. This month, we were asked to take in 25 unwanted roosters, almost all of whom were bought from hatcheries and incorrectly sexed.

But we said yes to these two roosters. Despite that, our calls were never returned and the fate of these roosters is unknown. The man refused to give any personal information - he refused to contact animal control or the police. Even if he had, even if there was incontrovertible proof of this woman's crime, very few prosecutors would choose to charge someone who inadequately slaughtered four roosters. Our hearts ache for these birds - they deserve so much better.

At the heart of this story is a very real, growing problem. Cities around the country are considering permitting the slaughter of sentient beings in backyards. They are considering allowing the raising of "livestock" in heavily populated, urbanized areas. And they are doing it with zero consideration of the animals themselves.

Caring for farm animals is no easy task, despite what "homesteaders" want you to believe. All species of farmed animals require specialized care, appropriate feed, medical/veterinary care, proper housing, and appropriate space to keep them healthy and happy. Anyone with a dog knows they need more than just a bowl of food and water a day to thrive. A pig's ability to enjoy life is no different than a cat's. A chicken's ability to emote is no different than a dog's. In an already cruel world, it seems society should focus on compassionate choices, ones that nurture joy and kindness.

Backyard slaughter does none of that. It does not "connect" anyone to "food" anymore than a pre-packaged slab of animal carcass does. It does not emulate the real conditions of farm animals in this industrial world. And it completely dismisses that when we are given a choice to cause less harm, we shouldn't bring out the knife. Killing a sentient, feeling being simply to "experience" the act of killing or to be "closer" to one's "food" source is outlandish and ludicrous. Especially in a country where most of us (and nearly all of the people who seem heck bent on wanting to kill animals) can either a) grow fresh organic produce or b) purchase fresh organic produce that is cheaper than raising an animal for slaughter.

If you live in the United States, chances are you have better access to healthy food than other regions of the world. If you are already living in an urban area, you have better access to healthy food than areas that are more rural. If you are living in a middle-class or wealthier region, you have access to healthful foods more so than impoverished areas. You enjoy a privilege not everyone does. To sully that by spilling blood is offensive and ignores that wonderful access to fresh, organic produce and grains and legumes that can easily supplant animal products.

And if you don't have easy access to healthy foods, contact organizations like the Food Empowerment Project to start changing that. We need more fresh foods that are sustainable and healthy, and that don't - by necessity - require the unnecessary taking of a life.

If you don't want to see blood in your neighbor's backyard, speak up and out for yourself and the animals. Write to your elected officials and attend city council meetings. Write letters to the editors of your local paper. If you live in Oakland, join Neighbors Opposed to Backyard Slaughter and stop the relaxation of zoning laws to allow urban slaughter.

We already live in a country that slaughters 10,000,000,000 land animals each year. Let's not add to that cruelty by allowing more.

Check Out Rescued Hens

Rescue Ranch is our most innovative program - there are literally no others of its kind in the country! We work to facilitate the release of "spent" hens from egg farms and assist local animal controls with cruelty or neglect cases involving farmed animals.

The animals we take in are rehabilitated and then rehomed! In 2011 alone, we've been able to save the lives of 2,000 chickens, 19 turkeys, 3 sheep and five pigs!

Here is a video of 225 hens recently rescued and up for adoption.