Turkey ‘cuddle’ events being staged on Thanksgiving by animal-loving California farm
A California farm is taking its “reverence for all life” to the next level by hosting a turkey cuddling event on Thanksgiving.
Turkeys are affectionate, The Gentle Barn insists, and for $50 visitors can spend 90 minutes getting to know one better ... hugging it, feeding it treats and making small talk.
The Santa Clarita-based farm is offering these therapeutic sessions at all three of its locations, with $25 fees at farms in Nashville, Tennessee, and St. Louis, Missouri. Santa Clarita is about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
“We are inviting you on Thanksgiving Day to cuddle our turkeys,” The Gentle Barn said in a news release.
“Celebrate life, love, and liberty with our majestic turkeys who should have been cherished throughout history for their intelligence, affection, and dynamic personalities.”
None of the farm’s turkeys will end up on plates, and the barn hopes the event convinces others to change their tradition of roasting the birds.
“Just because we’ve always done something a certain way, doesn’t mean that we always need to in the future,” farm founder Ellie Laks says in a video posted on Facebook.
“We can change our traditions and we can make them kinder and more gentle. So this year we are inviting you to come to a Gentle Barn location near you and celebrate turkeys.”
News of the event was cheered on social media by vegans, animal rights activists and turkey lovers.
“You are each a precious angel and you each and all animals deserve to be treated with love, dignity and respect,” one woman wrote.
“The greatest ethical test that we are going to face is those who are at our mercy,” another said.
Founded in 1999, the 6-acre Gentle Farm is home to “nearly 200 animals that are safe and happy,” according to the nonprofit’s website.
“At The Gentle Barn we stand up for the innocent, and we help animals and children alike remember that they matter,” the farm says.
“We open people’s hearts to the connections with nature. We open people’s minds to what is happening around us. And we inspire people to be an integral part of the solution.”
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