Millions of North Americans are expected to dig into turkey on Thanksgiving Day, but People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) feels it has a better idea about what to stick in the roasted bird.
On Friday, the group announced it would be offering free tombstones emblazoned with the words: "Here Lies the Corpse of a Tortured Bird" for kids to place in the Thanksgiving turkey.
PETA, which has a reputation for using sensationalist advertisements and commercials to convey its pro-animal stance, says kids who visit peta2.com/Tombstones and request a tombstone will get them in the mail for free.
All they have to do is tell PETA why they don't eat turkey.
"Kids love animals, and once they realize that turkeys feel pain and fear just as dogs and cats do, they want to switch out those drumsticks for Tofurky," PETA spokeswoman Marta Holmberg says on the organization's site. "This Thanksgiving, families can give turkeys something to be thankful for by choosing delicious vegan meals."
PETA says more than 45 million turkeys are killed in the U.S. for Thanksgiving dinners.
"In nature, turkeys are protective and loving parents as well as spirited explorers who can climb trees and run as fast as 25 miles per hour. But most turkeys slated to be killed for food are crammed into filthy warehouses, where disease, smothering, and heart attacks are common," PETA says.
