Two lucky turkeys were spared this week’s Thanksgiving dinner as they were pardoned by President Biden on Monday. The 77th annual White House tradition also marked the final pardon ceremony of Biden’s presidency.
Peach and Blossom, who weigh 41 pounds and 40 pounds respectively, are from Northfield, Minnesota.
“The two turkeys are named after the state flower of Delaware, the peach blossom,” Biden said of his home state during a formal ceremony on the White House lawn. “The peach blossom flower also symbolizes resilience, which is honestly appropriate for today.” Biden noted the turkeys’ resilience after the 1,100-mile journey from Minnesota to the nation’s capital.
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“Well guys, your prayers are being answered today,” Biden told the turkeys. “Based on your temperament and because you are productive members of society, I hereby forgive Peach and Blossom.”
According to National Turkey Federation bird personal biographies, Peach loves cross-country skiing and aspires to be the next pop prince, while Blossom loves cheese curds and hopes to travel to all 10,000 of Minnesota’s lakes.
The birds stayed in a luxury suite at the chic Willard InterContinental hotel near the White House, as is customary in the quirky tradition. After their trip to Washington, DC, they will continue to ride the gravy train back to Farmamerica, an agricultural interpretation center, in Waseca, Minnesota, where they will spend the remainder of their days as agricultural ambassadors.
Both turkeys were hatched in July as part of a presidential flock and are about 18 weeks old, said John Zimmerman, president of the National Turkey Federation.
“Preparing these presidential birds took a lot of special care,” Zimmerman said during a news conference on Sunday. stone.”
From left: John Zimmerman, chairman of the National Turkey Federation, his son Grant Zimmerman, President Joe Biden and the national Thanksgiving turkey, Peach, in the foreground, during the pardon ceremony at the White House on Monday. (Susan Walsh/AP)
Broad-breasted white turkeys, such as Peach and Blossom, are raised to be plump and flavorful until about 18 weeks, at which point they are considered sufficiently grown to be prepared for human consumption.
Because domesticated turkeys grow so large, they are prone to a range of health problems, meaning their lifespan is typically less than a year. For example, two turkeys that former President Barack Obama pardoned in 2012 — Cobbler and Gobbler — died within a year of being pardoned for poultry. The same fate befell Wishbone and Drumstick, who died just months after being pardoned by former President Donald Trump in 2017.
“[Americans] want a nice turkey with big breasts so they are fed a high protein diet and grow quite large,” Dean Norton, the director in charge of livestock operations at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate, told CNN. “However, the organs in this bird are intended for a smaller bird. They simply can’t handle the extra weight, so they ultimately don’t live as long [as wild turkeys].”
Naturally brown wild turkeys typically weigh half as much as their commercially raised counterparts and generally live three to four years.
Although Peach and Blossom beat the odds this Thanksgiving, it’s unlikely they’ll be there next year.
Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) last week urged Biden to stop what they called a “miserable” tradition.
“As a ‘lame duck’ you no longer have to pay attention to the interests of factory farmers and instead have a joyful opportunity to spare Americans and turkeys this humiliating stunt by the meat industry, which the White House uses as public relations background is used.” Ingrid Newkirk, president of PETA, wrote in a letter to Biden last week. “Please end this wretched ritual that is unbecoming of public office.”
