Ask anyone on the PETA staff and they can tell you about lots of people—even hard-nosed, stalwart, meat-eating relatives—who've seen one little video clip and changed their minds about turkeys. Help everyone opt for that delicious Tofurky instead of a slice of contaminated dead turkey by cuing up one of our funny little PETA Thanksgiving public service announcements (PSAs) to provide helpful insight into why a cruelty-free feast is the way to go.

Philadelphia and Baltimore may be a little safer after PETA members worked tirelessly to get baby-killers off the streets—the killers of baby turkeys, that is.

A baby doll bedecked with frills served as the centerpiece for this eerie Thanksgiving dinner, making the point that farmers drug and breed turkeys to grow so fast that most are only months old when they are slammed upside down into metal shackles, only to have their throats slit. (What kind of job is that? But who pays someone to do it? The consumer!)

But as we hear out there, ever more people are turning to a meal that celebrates life and spares a turkey, not "pardons" one. After all, what crime could a baby have committed?

Some years ago, when I interned at a sanctuary for farmed animals, I'd sit in the barn, and a turkey named Fern would back up into my lap and demand to be petted. When I'd stop, she'd look over her shoulder imploringly as if to say, "More, please." I always think of Fern at this time of year, when supermarket bins are filled with the frozen bodies of her relatives. If people got a chance to know these interesting and personable birds, I believe they'd balk at baking and eating their wings, legs, and breasts.

Turkeys on farmed-animal sanctuaries quickly prove themselves to be intelligent and industrious as well as outgoing at times and shy at other times, much like human children. Sitting in the barn, the birds' distinct personalities were immediately clear. Some, bold and hilarious, would walk right up and look me square in the eye as if to challenge my right to invade their space. Others, like a coy debutante, would peer over their shoulders, aloof but not wanting to miss anything exciting. Many, like Fern, would purr when petted.

This Thanksgiving, please take a moment to reflect: Can the fleeting pleasure of a meal justify the immeasurable pain and suffering of a bird who didn't want to die? Give turkeys like Fern a reason to purr. Stuff yourself with mashed potatoes, cranberries, pumpkin pie, and other vegan goodies and leave the birds alone.

Via Newsday

Written by Jennifer O'Connor

You know what they say: The key to a man's heart is through his … stomach. Our sexy pilgrims, who are touring New England this week, can attest to that and more. Obviously, they attract a crowd, largely because of the delicious, free Tofurkys they're handing out. In fact, the Tofurkys flew off the table—with men and women gobbling them up—within 20 minutes in Bangor, Maine.

The pilgrims also gave out PETA's free vegetarian/vegan starter kits and told passersby that every year in the U.S., 40 million gentle, inquisitive turkeys are killed for Thanksgiving dinners alone.

In nature, turkeys are protective and loving parents as well as fast, cunning runners who are able to outwit their pursuers. But the turkey industry crams the birds into windowless warehouses and genetically manipulates them to grow so large that their legs are often unable to withstand the birds' weight. Countless birds slowly starve to death within inches of food after they become crippled and are unable to move.

PETA's sexy pilgrims will be docking in New Haven today and Providence tomorrow. Even if you aren't lucky enough to grab a Tofurky from these lovely ladies, you can get tips on serving up a cruelty-free feast at our "Living" page.

Everyone who tuned in to PBS last night for the premiere of My Life as a Turkey was treated to a fascinating glimpse into the lives of animals who are often seen as little more than Thanksgiving centerpieces. The film follows Joe Hutto as he raises 16 turkeys, left on his porch as eggs, from hatchlings to adulthood.

Watching the turkeys form an intense bond with their "mother," Joe, and seeing them grow, learn, and interact would make the staunchest carnivore think twice about calling these sensitive, intelligent birds "dinner."

Watch My Life as a Turkey and click here to enter to win the DVD and the book that inspired it. And check out PETA's recipes for a turkey-friendly Thanksgiving smorgasbord on our Living page.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

Keen to try some roasted puppy leg or a freshly carved puppy breast? A new billboard PETA is trying to place outside public schools across the country ahead of Thanksgiving should certainly give children and their parents not only the shivers but also some important food for thought:

Turkey: © iStockphoto.com/James Steidl • Dog: © iStockphoto.com/Eric Isselée

Turkeys are gentle, inquisitive animals who enjoy music and like to have their feathers stroked, but turkeys raised for food are kept in crowded, dark sheds where the ammonia from their accumulated waste burns their skin. At slaughterhouses, turkeys are slammed upside down into shackles and dragged through electrified water. Many birds have their throats slit while they're still conscious and able to feel pain.

Stuffing kids (or anyone) with turkey is also bad for their health: In addition to artery-clogging fat and cholesterol, they also could be gobbling up arsenic, which is used to combat disease on filthy factory farms. Other dangers of eating turkey include contracting listeria, salmonella, or campylobacter bacteria, which cause millions of cases of food-borne illness each year.

Kids can learn more about how to "love animals, not eat them" at the PETA Kids or peta2 websites. Adults who want to quit cruelty cold turkey this Thanksgiving can check out Gardein's delicious vegan holiday recipes and enter to win a free vegan Gardein Savory Stuffed Turk'y on our Living page.

Written by Heather Faraid Drennan

To encourage Canadians to celebrate a cruelty-free Thanksgiving, sexy PETA "pilgrims" landed at Toronto's Old City Hall for a festive Tofurky giveaway. Thankful Torontonians gobbled up the demonstration—literally. The pilgrims handed out 50 delicious, meat-free Tofurky roasts in less than five minutes!

Turkeys are intelligent, affectionate animals, so please have the "grace" to leave them off the table. Remember: If you wouldn't eat your dog, don't eat a turkey.

Written by Heather Faraid Drennan

I ate so much on Thanksgiving that I thought I'd never eat again, but I'm ready to dig into some Internet Soup. Why don't you grab a spoon and join me?

• I'm still thankful that my Thanksgiving Day bloat didn't include mopping up turkey guts.
• Anyone who believes that laughter isn't contagious hasn't met Mr. Willow Ptarmigan.
• Get down to the funky sounds of Miss Snorts-A-Lot.
• Gawker has a piece about a sports columnist in Georgia who wrote against hunting. Gasp!
• YouTube reveals the daydreams of bored-out-of-their-minds, stay-at-home-for-eight-plus-hours-while-their-peeps-are-gone dogs.

And now, a special "Ladies Who Lunch" video mini-festival:  

• I suggest you swallow your coffee before watching this one—or risk staining your sweater when you laugh out loud, as I just did.
• Fur hag with a bag, part deux.

That's all for now—I've gotta go soak my sweater. Until next time, keep feeling warm and fur-free fuzzy during the holiday season.

Written by Karin Bennett

In honor of "Thanksgiving Is Murder on Turkeys" Day, here are a few animals who are happy to not be on your plate.

It wasn't easy to choose just one winner for PETA's "All-Expenses-Paid Thanksgiving Vacation to NYC" contest from the many video entries we received—but we did it. Ladies and gentleman, meet Kate, who eloquently explains why she and her family will be leaving turkey off the menu this Thanksgiving.

Congratulations to Kate, who's no doubt gearing up for a lot of weekend adventures in the Big Apple—and to everyone who entered, thanks for speaking up for turkeys.

Now the question is how will all of you benevolent busybodies celebrate Thanksgiving Day and Fur-Free Friday?

Written by Karin Bennett