Peach and Blossom escape poultry fate in Biden’s final presidential turkey pardon

Two lucky turkeys were spared from being served Thanksgiving dinner this week when they received a pardon from President Biden on Monday. The 77th annual White House tradition also marked the final pardon ceremony of Biden’s presidency.

Peach and Blossom, valued at 41 pounds and 40 pounds, respectively, hail from Northfield, Minn.

“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 also symbolizes resilience, which is frankly appropriate for today.” Biden noted the turkeys’ resilience after making the 1,100-mile trip from Minnesota to the nation’s capital.

“Well guys, your prayers will be answered today,” Biden told the turkeys. “Based on your temperament and being productive members of society, I hereby forgive Peach and Blossom.”

According to personal biographies delivered to the birds by National Turkey FederationPeach enjoys cross-country skiing and aspires to be the next Prince of Pop, while Blossom enjoys cottage cheese and hopes to travel to all 10,000 Minnesota lakes.

The birds have been staying in a luxury suite at the fancy Willard InterContinental hotel near the White House, as is customary in the quirky tradition. After their trip to Washington, DC, they continue to ride the gravy train back to Farmamerica, an agricultural interpretive center in Waseca, Minn., where they will live out the rest of their days as agricultural ambassadors.

Both turkeys were hatched in July as part of a presidential flock and are about 18 weeks old, according to John Zimmerman, National Turkey Federation president.

“Preparing these presidential birds has taken a lot of special care,” Zimmerman said Sunday during a press conference.”We’ve acclimated them to lights, cameras and even introduced them to a wide variety of music – everything from polkas to classical music. rock.”

Breasted white domestic turkeys like Peach and Blossom are bred to be plump and flavorful until about 18 weeks, when they are considered grown enough to be ready for consumption.

Because domestic turkeys grow so large, they are susceptible to a wide range of health problemswhich typically puts their lifespan at less than a year. For example, two turkeys pardoned by former President Barack Obama in 2012 — Cobbler and Gobbler — died within a year of their poultry pardon. 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 big-breasted turkey, so they’re fed a high-protein diet and they get pretty big,” Dean Norton, director of livestock at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate, told CNN. “However, the organs that are in this bird are meant for a smaller bird. They just can’t handle the extra weight, so they end up not living 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.

While Peach and Blossom beat the odds this Thanksgiving, it’s unlikely they’ll be around for next year’s festivities.

Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) called on Biden to end what they called a “disgusting” tradition last week.

“As a ‘lamb duck,’ you no longer have to consider the interests of factory farmers and instead have a happy opportunity to spare Americans and turkeys this humiliating meat industry stunt that uses the White House as its PR backdrop,” Ingrid Newkirk, PETA president, wrote in a letter to Biden last week. “Please end this vile ritual unbecoming of public office.”