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Over 250 million turkeys are slaughtered for human consumption in the U.S. throughout the year. Killed at barely four months old and not protected by the Humane Slaughter Act, a turkey will be subjected to unchecked mistreatment on farms and in slaughterhouses during their short life. They are genetically altered to grow to 30 lbs<\/a>\u00a0by just 15 weeks of age,\u00a0with deformities and severe health problems commonplace.<\/p>\n Such was one turkey\u2019s existence at the Los Angeles-area slaughterhouse LA Fresh Poultry when\u00a0a dozen animal rights activists gathered there on the morning before Thanksgiving three years ago.\u00a0The protest was part of an ongoing\u00a0campaign to shut down the live kill market, a facility\u00a0where customers can pick out live animals to be killed on the spot. After several hours of negotiations, the owners offered\u00a0the protestors\u00a0two chickens in\u00a0exchange for leaving\u2014protests, after all, are bad for business. \u201cBut we refused unless they also gave us a turkey, and finally, they agreed,\u201d recalls Marlene Blanco, who is a caregiver at Love Always Sanctuary.\u00a0\u201cMarlene stopped screaming as soon as she was in my arms; that\u2019s how I knew she was aware that she was safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cBringing awareness to animal rights can be a stepping stone to being aware of other social justice issues.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Blanco\u00a0describes going\u00a0through a mix of emotions\u2014from hopefulness and happiness that she was free, but also sadness for not being able to rescue more animals from the slaughterhouse. \u201cI was thinking that she is going to be a great example of how animal liberation is possible when we come together,\u201d she says. \u201cBringing awareness to animal rights can be a stepping stone to being aware of other social justice issues. For example, working at slaughterhouses is traumatic for both the workers and the individuals that are being killed there, increasing PTSD and domestic violence in the Hispanic community.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Since that fateful day, Marlene\u00a0has\u00a0recovered wonderfully and spends her days hanging out with her chicken and duck friends at the sanctuary.\u00a0She loves dust bathing and following people around until she gets a hug. \u201cThe resilience animals show is amazing,\u201d says Blanco.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n