Adopt a Turkey Month

Adopt a Turkey Month is observed throughout November as a time to celebrate turkeys and encourage compassionate choices during the holiday season. The observance invites people to learn more about these intelligent, social birds and consider supporting turkey rescues, sanctuaries, or organizations that provide them with safe, caring homes.

Throughout the month, individuals and families can participate by sharing information about turkey welfare, donating to animal-care efforts, or choosing alternatives to serving turkey at holiday gatherings. Whether through advocacy, education, or a symbolic adoption, Adopt a Turkey Month offers a thoughtful way to practice kindness and gratitude toward animals.

Adopt a Turkey Month is observed throughout November, linking the care of living turkeys with the cultural prominence of turkey during the Thanksgiving season in the United States. Its central idea is to “adopt” a turkey symbolically or through a donation that supports its rescue, shelter, food, and veterinary care. In many cases, the adoption is handled by animal sanctuaries and welfare organizations rather than involving the transfer of an animal to a private home.

The observance developed from the broader animal-sanctuary movement and from growing public attention to the conditions in which commercially raised turkeys live. Farm sanctuaries began offering symbolic adoptions as a way for people to support individual animals while learning about farm-animal welfare. November became a particularly meaningful time for this message because Thanksgiving traditions often place turkey at the center of the holiday meal. Adopt a Turkey Month therefore presents an alternative perspective: turkeys are not only holiday symbols or agricultural products but also intelligent, social animals deserving humane treatment.

Over time, the observance has expanded beyond fundraising. Sanctuaries, educators, and animal-welfare advocates use it to explain the differences between domesticated and wild turkeys, discuss responsible care, and encourage people to consider plant-based or otherwise compassionate Thanksgiving meals. Symbolic adoption programs may include a certificate, photograph, biography, or updates about a rescued turkey, giving participants a personal connection to the animal and to the organization’s work.

Culturally, Adopt a Turkey Month reflects changing conversations about food, compassion, and holiday customs. It does not erase the historical importance of turkey in American Thanksgiving traditions; instead, it invites people to examine those traditions and make more informed ethical choices. By placing rescue and education alongside seasonal celebration throughout November, the observance has become a way to support sanctuaries, promote humane treatment, and broaden the meaning of gratitude.