Hollywood Heavy-weight Helps Save Turkeys
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Adopt-A-Turkey Project spokesperson Ellen DeGeneres isn’t the only major player in Hollywood concerned about the suffering of turkeys this holiday season. Last week, Ady Gil, founding partner of American Hi Definition (AHD) and Sweetwater Digital, Hollywood’s leading provider of digital production services for film and television, contacted Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization, with an offer to sponsor an additional turkey — up to $20,000 — for every one adopted by November 25, Thanksgiving day, through the organization’s Adopt-A-Turkey Project. Due to the overwhelming response the organization received over the weekend from concerned citizens who want to make a difference for turkeys this year, his match was met in just four days. Now, encouraged by the groundswell of public interest surrounding helping turkeys this year, Ady Gil has increased his offer to match turkey adoptions to $50,000!
Ady Gil, whose production company works on virtually every major awards show on television, including The Grammy Awards and The Emmys, as well as talk shows including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Dr. Phil and Jimmy Kimmel Live, credits his 1999 adoption of a turkey named Shalom for first opening his eyes to the suffering of turkeys, and all farm animals, on America’s factory farms. “Shalom means ‘peace,’ and helping animals has become my peace,” says Ady Gil, whose tireless promotion of the offer over his own social networks, at parties and business meetings over the weekend aided in helping the organization quickly reach the initial $20,000 target. “I think the Adopt-A-Turkey Project is a good eye opener for people. It’s so simple to do, it costs so little, and you feel that you’ve done something good.”
Farm Sanctuary has organized the annual Adopt-A-Turkey Project since 1986. This Thanksgiving, with the help of Ellen DeGeneres and Ady Gil, thousands of families will save turkeys, instead of eating them, by adopting a feathered friend who lives at Farm Sanctuary’s New York or California Shelter. For a one-time donation gift of just $30, adopters will receive a special Adopt-A-Turkey certificate, featuring a color photo of and fun details about their new friend, and the great feeling of knowing they are sponsoring the care of a turkey who has been rescued from cruelty. These donations help Farm Sanctuary educate and advocate for turkeys, and other farm animals, everywhere. This year’s “adoptable” turkeys include: Velma, Daphne, Kima, Harley, Reese and Jordan.
“Thanksgiving is a symbolic holiday,” adds Ady Gil. “I don’t believe we should celebrate by killing another species. Every animal, including turkeys, deserves to see the light of day, go to sleep and wake up without finding themselves on someone’s plate. This is a time to show people that we can celebrate without causing suffering.”
“We are deeply moved and grateful for Ady’s generous support,” says Gene Baur, president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary. “His dedication to ending the suffering of turkeys, and all farm animals, is an inspiration to anyone who opposes animal cruelty and wishes to protect the most vulnerable and abused creatures among us. Ady will allow us to help more turkeys and educate more people this Thanksgiving, and for that we are very thankful.”
The Adopt-A-Turkey Project seeks to end the suffering of commercially-raised turkeys by offering a compassionate alternative for Thanksgiving. Between 250 to 300 million turkeys are raised for slaughter every year in the U.S. — more than 46 million alone for Thanksgiving. Birds are typically packed by the thousands into dark, filthy factory farm warehouses, where they are allotted approximately three square feet of space in which to live. Debeaked and detoed without any pain relief, these birds are bred to reach a crippling weight at an unnaturally fast rate. When turkeys reach only 14 to 18 weeks of age they are transported to slaughter, often under harrowing conditions. Because turkeys and other birds are specifically excluded from the Humane Slaughter Act, which requires that animals be stunned prior to slaughter, their deaths are a brutal end to a miserable existence.
You can learn more about Thanksgiving’s toll on turkeys here.
To join Ellen DeGeneres in starting a new tradition by adopting a turkey instead of eating one, visit adoptaturkey.org or call the Turkey Adoption Hotline at 1-888-SPONSOR.
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