Each year, the President of the United States "pardons" two turkeys on Death Row. Here is the story of the first official turkey pardon.
The National Turkey Foundation and the Poultry and Egg National Board, since 1947, have presented the President with a turkey each year at a White House ceremony. And the Presidents have always eaten it.
JFK was an exception; he said, "Let's just keep him". In 1989, the senior Bush started the practice of pardoning turkeys--two a year. Till 2004, the pardoned turkeys were sent to Kidwell Farm (also ironically called Frying Pan Park), a petting zoo in Virginia. But now they go to Disneyland as the honorary grand marshals of the Thanksgiving Day parade. They are even given names. This year's chosen ones are Apple and Cider.
I don't see what difference it makes to pardon two turkeys a year when, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 45 million turkeys are cooked and eaten in the U.S. at Thanksgiving!!
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