Cheers or Tears, the Drinks Are on Us! PETA to Hand Out Wild Turkey Shots and Vegan Roasts After Election

For Immediate Release:
November 6, 2024

Contact:
Maddy Missett 202-483-7382

It’s wild: Whether people are delighted or depressed over the election, PETA has them covered tomorrow, when a flock of the group’s members will gather near the Gateway Arch to pass out free mini bottles of Wild Turkey bourbon and tasty turkey-free roasts. The turkey allies—dressed in colorful outfits and faux-feather headdresses—will encourage everyone to say, “Cheers!” to giving birds a break this holiday.

“Turkeys are doting parents, feel pain and fear just as we do, value their lives as much as we value ours, and want to be left in peace, not carved into pieces,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “Whether people are looking to celebrate or drown their sorrows, PETA will help everyone indulge with savory vegan roasts that give us all something to be thankful for.”

Where: Entrance to Gateway Arch National Park, off I-44 between Chestnut and Market streets, St. Louis

When: Thursday, November 7, 12 noon

Why: In nature, turkeys spend their days caring for their young, building nests, foraging for food, taking dust baths, and roosting in trees, and they can live over 10 years. But turkeys raised for food are often slaughtered within their first six months of life—and tens of millions are killed each year in the U.S. for Thanksgiving and Christmas alone. Workers hang the young birds upside down, drag them through an electrified bath, slit their throats, and dump them into scalding-hot defeathering tanks.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. PETA’s free vegan starter kit and “ThanksVegan” guide are filled with tips to help anyone looking to make the switch.

For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.