Joaquin Phoenix advocates for turkeys on Thanksgiving: Adopt, not eat

Hollywood A-lister Joaquin Phoenix, an avid animal-rights activist and an outspoken vegan, has a special request for people this Thanksgiving: adopt turkeys instead of serving them.

Phoenix, 47, recently visited the Farm Sanctuary in Acton, California with his partner, actor Rooney Mara, 36, to visit rescued turkeys ahead of the US national holiday and issued a joint statement to People.

“Turkeys are emotional, intelligent, and social animals. It's chilling that more than 68 million turkeys will be brutally slaughtered and eaten during the holiday months alone," they said.

The couple also advocated for the farms Adopt a Turkey initiative, sharing that by being a part of it “you are not only supporting the rescue of animals caught in the brutal factory farming industry, but you are also protesting animal agriculture's immoral treatment of workers, and its dominating role in accelerating the climate crisis.”

“In this season of giving, please join us in adopting a turkey, and leaving them off your plates,” they concluded.