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South Surrey turkeys spared

Pearl and Sterling will not wind up on the Thanksgiving table

Hold the stuffing.

Two lucky turkeys will not be placed between a dollop of mash potatoes and a pile of brussels sprouts this Thanksgiving, and the credit goes to Semiahmoo Animal League Inc (SALI) farm.

In July, the farm, which serves as a sanctuary for rescued farm animals and place for at-risk children, received a message from someone who found a pair of young turkeys on their doorstep.

The animals were missing their toe tips and the end of their beaks were cut off, SALI farm quickly adopted the birds.

“These turkeys needed a home and we already had an aviary for our rooster Louise and chickens Henrietta and Emmy Lou,” SALI founder Keryn Denroche said in a news release Wednesday. “How could we say no?”

Not having cared for a turkey before, Denroche and animal-care volunteers learned everything they could about the broad breasted white turkeys, the type of turkey commonly found next to the Thanksgiving fixings.

The turkeys are bred to gain weight quickly to provide more meat.

“The dangerous weight gain leads to multiple health problems for the turkeys, including heart disease, respiratory failure and join damage,” the release states. “They are generally short-lived birds.”

Named Pearl and Sterling, for their white colouring and “in juxtaposition to their ugly start in life,” both turkeys are living a wholesome life exploring the farm, and eating two meals a day.

SALI is currently searching for a new home for its farm. Its lease expires next summer. Organizers are searching for either donated land, or a reasonable lease.

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Pearl and Sterling have found forever homes. (Kat Grabowski Photography & Graphic Design photos)
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Pearl and Sterling have found forever homes. (Kat Grabowski Photography & Graphic Design photos)
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Keryn Denroche and one of the rescued turkeys. (Kat Grabowski Photography & Graphic Design photos)


About the Author: Aaron Hinks

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