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FRZ.RAIN Temp: 30 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Sunday, December 1, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend November 22, 2002 Eighteen-month-old Julianne Myers, with the help of mom Gina, serves pumpkin pie and cranberries to a group of rescued turkeys the Myers have adopted on their Meadow Brook Farm. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell This turkey dinner was different Talent family adopts birds to save them, not roast them for Thanksgiving By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune TALENT — This is the tale of a trio of turkeys and the family who had them for dinner. But, wait. It’s not what you’d think a week before the national holiday that celebrates gobbling gobblers. This story has a happy ending, at least from the poultry perspective. The birds in question arrived Thursday at the home of Mike, Gina and Julianne Myers, where they were recipients, not the objects, of a lavish feast. Stuffed squash and pumpkin pie with cranberries awaited the white-winged birds, who are part of an annual Adopt-A-Turkey project aimed at keeping commercial fowl from slaughter. The Myers clan is among hundreds across the nation to participate in the project sponsored by the animal rights group Farm Sanctuary. Their three turkeys were rescued after a Southern California car dealership used them in a turkey hunt promotion that offered customers a chance to chase beleaguered birds with every purchase. After the Myerses agreed to adopt the birds, they were trucked up from the group’s farm in Orland, Calif., along with six chickens and two goats dropped off earlier. "We’ve been working and getting our barn ready," said Gina Myers, a 36-year-old software consultant. She and her husband, Mike Myers, 42, also a software worker, recently moved to their Talent home, known as Meadow Brook Farm, from San Jose, Calif. Their 8,000-square-foot barn will provide ample drumstick- and wing-room for the turkeys and chickens, who reportedly make great pets, especially for 18-month-old Julianne. "Apparently they have very distinct personalities," said Myers, who intends to name her turkeys "Lorri," "Ingrid" and "Jannette" after her favorite female animal rights activists. The chickens may be dubbed with monikers from blond pop culture figures such as Kim Basinger and Linda McCartney, she said. How long will the birds remain? As long as they like, Myers said. "This is permanent," she said. "We wouldn’t do a stunt and then throw them out." The Myerses were inspired to befriend the turkeys by their vegan diet and lifestyle, which excludes consumption of all animal products. Gina Myers said she was moved by Farm Sanctuary’s claims that turkeys in factory farms are subjected to overcrowding, stress and cruelty. "They’ve shown us videos of people picking animals from dead piles and they’re still alive, they’ve just been thrown there," she said. She doesn’t like to dwell on the details of "de-beaking" and "de-toeing," practices Farm Sanctuary representatives claim are common in the poultry industry. She doesn’t like to think about turkeys being slaughtered while conscious, a practice Farm Sanctuary members claim endures because turkeys and other poultry are excluded from federal humane slaughter laws. "I’m more on the happy side," said Myers, who is active in PETA — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Representatives from the turkey processing industry dispute those claims. Sherie Rosenblatt, spokeswoman for the National Turkey Federation, said turkeys’ beaks and toenails are trimmed to prevent injuries from the birds’ "naturally aggressive tendencies." Turkeys are conscious when slaughtered, Rosenblatt said, but they’re shielded by a sheet, called a curtain. "It provides a calming sensation to the bird," she said. Rosenblatt said the dispute comes down to a philosophical difference between animal rights’ groups and the poultry industry. "What they want is to end the production and consumption of turkey and other meat products," she said. In a nation where 270 million turkeys will be processed this year, and residents are expected to consume 17.3 pounds of turkey apiece by the end of 2002, Myers counts her family as exceptions. That wouldn’t be true, however, she said, if more people knew what she believes is a terrible truth about poultry processing. "The goal of this is to educate people about the mass production of animals," she said. "Every person can make a choice every day by what they eat. It’s not some shrink-wrapped thing. It was an animal that was put through hell to get to their dinner table." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S