Happy Thanksgiving! It's that time of the year when the President of the United States pardons two turkeys from becoming someone's Thanksgiving meal. In keeping with that spirit, the mayor of Seattle pardoned two tofurkeys, but they'll see a grimmer fate.
The federally pardoned turkeys get VIP treatment before they meet the President by staying overnight in a nice hotel room that costs around $350 per night.
The annual turkey pardon is a tradition that started in 1989 with President George W. Bush. This National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation now happens every year.
"The luxurious third-floor room, which costs upwards of $350 a night, looked as it would to any other guest," writes Marina Koren in The National Journal. "There was a widescreen TV, a mini fridge, views of downtown Washington. And then there was the small entryway covered in a thick layer of wood shavings....At about 50 pounds each, the birds are technically in violation of Willard hotel policy requiring all pets to weigh no more than 40 pounds."
After their pardons, the turkeys go to a park to live out the rest of their years.
The pardoned turkeys are chosen from birth, based on their behavior, and trained to handle camera flashes and the general ruckus that comes with the big event.
Unfortunately, a pardon doesn't mean a long lifespan for the turkey. Because the turkeys are still raised as if they're going to eventually become someone's dinner, they're often obese, which limits their lifespans (in the wild, turkeys live about five years).
Meanwhile, the mayor of Seattle is also pardoning turkeys, although his are of the fake kind. In what many consider typical Seattle fashion, the mayor pardoned two tofurkeys in an official ceremony.
"I, Mayor Murray, pardon Braeburn the Tofurky," the mayor said.
Yes, they named the Tofurkies. The "back-up" was Honeycrisp, supposedly there in case Braeburn suddenly turned shy.
Of course, as the tofurkeys were never actually alive to begin with, the pardon is pointless, and the fake birds ended up donated to a food bank, which means they'll eventually be eaten.
The tofurkey pardon was actually part of a city food drive where the mayor challenged the Seattle City Council. The winner of that food drive gets doughnuts delivered by the losing team.
[Photo Credit: Wiki Commons]
