Turkeys would eat us if they could! Hilarious moment PETA is fact checked over viral tweet claiming birds 'would never' feast on human meat at Thanksgiving
- Animal rights group PETA posted a photo on X showing turkeys sitting around a table with human meat to encourage people to go vegetarian at Thanksgiving
- The post was later fact-checked in Community Notes by an unknown user
- PETA and the artist of the picture have not yet commented on the criticism
Turkeys weren't the only thing roasted at Thanksgiving this year - with PETA's not-so-festive post on X ridiculed by social media users after it was brutally fact-checked.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals took to X (formerly Twitter) ahead of the holiday to post a picture of a family of turkeys sitting around a table with human meat at the center.
The famed animal-rights group captioned the photo: 'We're lucky turkeys would never do this to us - you don't have to do it to them, either.'
But the post was later fact-checked in Community Notes by an unknown user who claimed: 'Turkeys are not vegetarians. Turkeys eat mice, lizards, frogs, and just about anything they can fit in their mouth.
'If turkeys were larger or had the technological means to farm and eat humans, their current diet reveals they likely would.'
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals took to X (formerly Twitter ) ahead of the holiday to post a picture of a family of turkeys sitting around a table with human meat at the center
But the post was later fact-checked in Community Notes by an unknown user
The user quoted research by the University of California's Integrated Pest Management as their source in the same Community Note.
After the post was fact-checked, many users flocked to comment section to criticize PETA's claim.
One user wrote: 'Turkeys don't because humans are apex predators, and are too large for them to effectively hunt. Frogs and lizards, on the other hand, are well within their capacity to hunt.'
Another wrote: 'Don't worry, I fixed the image for accuracy. Turkeys would happily peck a thanksgiving turkey to the bone. Sad but true. Maybe you can help raise awareness of poultry on poultry violence and the risk of cannibalism.'
One user also called the Community Note 'the best ever'.
The post which currently has over 35 million views and 11 thousand likes was also mocked by political commentators online.
'Do you ever post about how many birds are killed by wind turbines?' Republican strategist Scott Presler wrote.
'PETA got community noted and it's one of the best,' Tousi TV founder Mahyar Tousi wrote.
The picture was created by an artist named 'The Vegan Rapper' who has not yet commented on PETA's post. The group has also not yet responded to the criticism.
UC-IPM's research states turkeys have sustained Native Americans for centuries and, later, Europeans during colonization and settlement in the 1600s.
Many consider wild turkeys in urban and suburban settings as nuisances, pests, annoyances, destructive, and aggressive.
The picture was created by an artist named 'The Vegan Rapper' who has not yet commented on PETA's post. The group has also not yet responded to the criticism
If a human is viewed as dominant, the turkey may act passively or fearfully toward them. Viewed as submissive, a human might be bullied
As urban and suburban turkey populations have grown, so have human–turkey conflicts. They can become aggressive during the breeding season, occasionally charging and threatening people, and damaging automobiles by 'attacking' their reflection or jumping on cars.
Their nonstop search for food can destroy gardens, raised beds, new landscape plantings, and even turf.
If a human is viewed as dominant, the turkey may act passively or fearfully toward them. Viewed as submissive, a human might be bullied.
An aggressive bird may charge at the person, chase them, or even attempt to attack by flapping its wings, pecking, or spurring, especially at human men.
