Presidential Thanksgiving turkey pardon? Not all animal advocates were thrilled

With Thanksgiving over, two fortunate turkeys out of the millions that wound up as holiday meals are goin' to Disneyland, thanks to the ceremonial pardon they received from President Obama. The first turkey, a 45-pound male named Courage, received an official pardon from Obama in a ceremony Wednesday; the second, a female named Carolina, was also given a reprieve so she could be Courage's stand-in, "just in case Courage can't fulfill his responsibilities," Obama said.

But the president, dog-lover though he may be, doesn't seem to have much of a soft spot for turkeys.  Courage was saved from a "terrible and delicious fate" by "the interventions of Malia and Sasha -- because I was planning to eat this sucker," Obama told those assembled for the ceremony. (Whether or not the president's version of the story is true -- we can't imagine him turning his back on a ceremony some say dates back to the Truman administration, even for a good meal -- PETA responded by awarding his daughters honorary memberships to its PETA Kids offshoot.)

Courage went on to serve as grand marshal at Disneyland's Thanksgiving Day Parade; he and Carolina were expected to take up residence at the theme park's Big Thunder Ranch after the holiday, although PETA spokesperson Ashley Byrne told the Associated Press that the group had sent Obama a letter asking him to have the birds sent to a sanctuary rather than the Disneyland attraction.

Your morning adorable: Rescued turkeys' pre-Thanksgiving spa day

For longtime vegan Karen Dawn, eating turkeys on Thanksgiving isn't an option. So last year, Dawn started a new tradition, inviting live turkeys into her Pacific Palisades home to celebrate the holiday along with her human guests. She adopted two turkeys otherwise destined for slaughter, Bruce and Emily, who lived the high life in the Palisades for a few weeks before being "retired" to the Acton-based Animal Acres sanctuary for rescued farm animals.

This Thanksgiving, Dawn continued the tradition, purchasing two turkeys -- she named them Monty and Marsha -- that very nearly ended up on someone's table rather than at someone's table. "Why shouldn't vegans have 'Turkey Day'?" she wondered. That's a question that Dawn has clearly been able to answer for herself: This year, she welcomed about 20 human guests for a vegan feast, the only turkeys in sight being Monty, Marsha and a bottle of Wild Turkey for good measure.

Because Monty and Marsha were, quite understandably, filthy after their close call at a slaughterhouse, baths for both were Dawn's first order of business upon getting them home. ("As I drove home on the freeway with them crated in the car, I had every window open," she told Unleashed, "yet I still retched with every breath.") 

Mass. woman seeking donations for turkey's eye surgery

As most Americans prepare to shove turkeys into ovens today, a woman from Rehoboth, Mass., is trying to pay for her turkey's surgery.

Lyndsey Medeiros and her husband adopted two turkeys from a Rhode Island farm. One was Jerry, a 3-year-old with cataracts.

The eye debilitation prevents Jerry from eating on his own and frolicking with his female counterpart, the Associated Press reports.

Medeiros placed a free ad on Craigslist seeking donations for the surgery. She estimated the procedure could cost as much as $2,600.

It's a shame that this turkey is plagued with blurry vision, but Jerry should probably be thankful he's not sitting on a dinner plate with celery stuffed up his bum.

-- Mark Milian (Follow on Twitter @markmilian)

Photo: A White Holland turkey (Jerry is not pictured). Credit: Associated Press

NBC affiliates won't air PETA Thanksgiving ad promoting veganism

PETA's Thanksgiving-themed ad has stirred a controversy. While ad doesn't show graphic imagery, its description of the turkey-slaughter process may disturb some viewers; watch wisely!

Four NBC affiliates broadcasting the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade are banning a commercial promoting veganism sponsored by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

PETA spokesman Michael Lyubinsky said Tuesday that the organization wanted to air the commercial during the parade, but stations in Raleigh, N.C., Columbia, S.C., Savannah, Ga., and Little Rock, Ark., had banned it.

The commercial depicts a young girl saying grace at Thanksgiving, giving thanks for "the turkey farms where they pack them into dark, tiny little sheds for their whole lives."

The ad encourages viewers to "go vegan."

Brad Moses, general manager of Raleigh's WNCN, said he decided to ban the ad in Raleigh and Savannah because it's not appropriate for the spirit of the parade.

— Associated Press

Video: officialpeta via YouTube

Thanksgiving good deeds: Farm Sanctuary offers rescued-turkey sponsorship opportunities

Most Americans will be gorging themselves on turkeys and duck and chicken and all sorts of animal flesh Thursday. Vegetarians and vegans will no doubt look the other way as the animals are consumed in the ravaging ways "the season" affords.

But what can animal lovers do to support the fowl that face being sacrificed for the sake of tradition? Or, better yet, what can those of us in the majority who love to eat animals do to help some living creatures?

One of our favorite animal-rescue organizations, Farm Sanctuary, is doing its part to help turkeys avoid the suffering that often goes into Thanksgiving dinner preparations.  With a $25 donation to Farm Sanctuary's Adopt-a-Turkey campaign, softhearted folks can sponsor a needy turkey who's been spared from slaughter to live out its life at one of the organization's two farms (one in northern California, one in New York state).  Since the campaign's inception in 1986, more than 1,000 turkeys have been saved. 

Reader photo of the day: A lilac-breasted roller on the hunt in Africa

Submitter Alan shares his vivid photo of the most colorful bird we'd ever seen (and that's including peafowl), taken in Botswana.  The bird is a lilac-breasted roller, a species commonly found in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of the Middle East. 

Lilac-breasted rollers are known to perch high in trees or atop telephone poles and other similarly high places in order to scope out their favored foods, which can include everything from small insects to reptiles to other birds. 

Think your animal photo should be our reader photo of the day?  Show us by submitting it to the Pets & Animals category of Your Scene, The Times' photo-sharing site.  Just select the appropriate album (for instance, Alan submitted his photo to the Birds of a Feather album), click the "submit" link at the top of the page, choose your photo (.jpg format) and include a caption that tells us a little about your subject matter. 

-- Lindsay Barnett

Photo: Alan / Your Scene

Tammy the Turnpike Turkey, we hardly knew ye: Wayward wild turkey caught on New Jersey Turnpike

A wild turkey that's taken up residence at a New Jersey tollbooth and spends its days scooting around 18-wheelers won't have to dodge Thanksgiving traffic. State Fish and Wildlife officials netted the bird Wednesday after failed attempts during the weekend.

The turkey had been trotting around the busy toll booth since the spring, weaving around traffic at the 14B interchange in Jersey City.

"Apparently, this turkey decided to make Jersey City her home, alongside of one of the top five busiest toll roads in America," said turnpike spokesman Joe Orlando. "She didn't want to leave, she was a regular, and to be honest with you, she probably had better attendance than a lot of the employees."

Wildlife officials believe the 11-pound female turkey may have taken a wrong turn out of Staten Island and become disoriented. She spent her days causing stunned truck drivers to slam on their brakes and prompting some spectators to run across several lanes of traffic to pose for pictures with her.

Your morning adorable: One giant leap for a penguin in Antarctica

"Who says penguins can't fly?" submitter kkcondon wonders -- and after seeing this great shot, we're beginning to wonder the same thing. We know penguins are unable to fly (despite what the BBC may have told us on a recent April Fool's Day), but this one sure does seem to be getting some hang time!

Antarctica's Cuverville Island, where kkcondon captured this photo, is home to a large colony of gentoo penguins like this fellow. Gentoos are distinguishable by the white, crownlike markings atop their heads and by their vividly colored beaks. 

-- Lindsay Barnett

Photo: kkcondon / Your Scene

Delisted: Brown pelican is no longer an endangered species, say federal officials

With all the unsettling animal news that crosses our desks, we're always pleased to be able to share a bit of good news. Our colleague Jim Tankersley reports from New Orleans on the progress that's been made on behalf of the no-longer-endangered brown pelican. Here's an excerpt:

Federal officials announced today that they are removing the brown pelican from the endangered species list, capping a century-long recovery that started under President Theodore Roosevelt.

The brown pelican is an avian fixture in Southern California and along the Gulf of Mexico from Texas to Florida, where Roosevelt established the first national wildlife refuge on Pelican Island to protect the bird from human slaughter.

It is an icon in Louisiana, where it is the state bird and where Interior Department officials assembled today at the Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge near New Orleans to proclaim the brown pelican "fully recovered" and no longer in need of federal protection.

"In many ways, the brown pelican stands as a symbol of our nation's struggle to protect and conserve our wildlife," said Tom Strickland, assistant Interior secretary for fish, wildlife and parks, adding that "it's been a long, long steady climb back . . . from the brink of extinction."

Brown pelicans were first imperiled by hunters who prized their feathers. Later the bird suffered heavily from the effects of the pesticide DDT, sprayed for mosquito control, which weakened pelican eggs so that they cracked prematurely.

THERE'S MORE; READ THE REST.

Photo: A California brown pelican flies over La Jolla Cove in La Jolla, Calif. Credit:  David McNew / Getty Images

54 feral cats on San Nicolas Island relocated to Ramona in order to protect native animals

Fifty-four feral cats captured on San Nicholas Island are settling in at a wildlife center northeast of San Diego.

The Navy decided to remove the cats from San Nicholas, one of two Channel Islands owned by the Navy, to help nesting seabirds. The felines are now living at the Fund for Animals Wildlife Center.

Feral cats are usually euthanized, but the habitat was agreed upon by the Navy, Humane Society of the United States, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and California Department of Fish and Game.

The Web site DoGreatGood.com donated more than $100,000 to build a habitat at the center.

Most of the cats are unadoptable because they are so wild, but 18 kittens may find homes.

Trapping started in June and will continue until February.

-- Associated Press

Photo: An aerial view of San Nicolas Island, located 60 miles off Point Mugu, in 2001. Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times