ARIN GREENWOOD
Exit
There still aren’t any traditional
pets running around. (And, being
vegan, the birds’ eggs aren’t eaten
by humans; every day, they’re collected and left in the woods for
skunks and foxes.)
Poplar Spring specializes in animals that Cummings and Hoerauf
say are often overlooked — kids
aren’t generally taught to love cows
and chickens, and even animal
abuse laws generally exempt farm
animals. So on top of caring for the
200-odd rescues who will live out
their natural lives at Poplar Spring,
the sanctuary is open to visitors
such as school groups, as a way to
promote the message that all animals, including farm animals, deserve humane treatment.
“Here they’re treated with love
and tenderness,” Cummings said.
“Of all the animals that need help,
it seems like farm animals need it
the most.”
On Nov. 23, the sanctuary will
hold one of its annual events.
It’s a vegan potluck, where Poplar Spring’s six turkeys get their
own table — in a twist on the
usual Thanksgiving meal, visitors
feed them.
One of the guests of honor
this year will be a turkey named
Perry, who arrived at Poplar
THE THIRD
METRIC
Spring in 2012, on the night before Thanksgiving.
Here’s how Cummings and Hoerauf described Perry’s origin story
on Facebook:
We received quite a Thanksgiving Day surprise when we discovered this beautiful boy turkey
in a crate in the middle of our
driveway late last night!! No
note or phone call or any clue as
to who brought him or where he
came from. It is a mystery, but
we will welcome him in to live
happily here with our other rescued turkeys, who he will hopefully be friends with. Unlike the
millions of other turkeys on this
day, he is a very lucky guy.
You could think of this bird as a
living, breathing, lucky feathered
Thanksgiving parable. Or maybe he’s
a sign that the farm’s outreach is having some effect.
HUFFINGTON
11.17.13
Cummings
feeds a banana
to Sophie
the pig, the
newest arrival
at Poplar
Spring.