PETA's Thanksgiving Post Backfires Spectacularly

People are poking fun at PETA online over its Thanksgiving social media post.

Taking to X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, the animal rights organization shared an illustration of a family of turkeys sitting around a dinner table.

The artwork was created by user @freebison, and shows the birds saying grace ahead of their Thanksgiving meal, which includes potatoes, gravy, and a roasted, headless human on a platter.

The post read: "We're lucky turkeys would never do this to us—you don't have to do it them, either."

Since being shared on Wednesday, the post has received almost 26 million views. However, many users pointed out that turkeys are omnivores and do eat other creatures, such as lizards and insects, along with plants and seeds.

"The irony: Turkeys eat meat," said @LawSelfDefense.

"The only reason they don't eat us is because we're top tier predators," wrote Cameron. "They sure as heck would eat us if they could."

"Just a little fyi as someone who [raises] birds. They would 100% do this to you, and their own," commented @TheHermitDruid.

"They will hunt you down," agreed @portal_patrol_, while Britt said: "Looks like we need to get them before they get us."

The Community Notes on the platform—X's community-led fact-checking service—also had users in hysterics, with a paragraph that reads: "Turkeys are not vegetarians. Turkeys eat mice, lizards, frogs, and just about anything they can fit in their mouth.

"If turkeys were larger or had the technological means to farm and eat humans, their current diet reveals they likely would."

In response to the criticism of the social media post, PETA's founder Ingrid Newkirk told Newsweek: "The last laugh is on people who cannot read, because PETA did not say that turkeys are vegetarians—we said that they would not eat humans and we should show them the return courtesy."

PETA also hosted a similarly-themed display in Kansas City on Tuesday as part of the non-profit's "ThanksVegan" campaign. The exhibit featured a nearly nude male model in skin-colored underwear with bags on his feet, "trussed up" like a "human turkey."

The table included a fake human-sized roast turkey for reference, as well as plush bread rolls and other traditional Thanksgiving treats.

Unsurprisingly, the "human turkey" went viral, with Rauz's writing: "PETA make new fetishes that I never know exist."

"PETA really said stuff a twink not a turkey," said Bill Ari.

"She a baddie she showing her panty," joked Alex.

"Really dig those baguette plushies tho," wrote bubu, while Suki asked: "His head being supported by a plastic cup???"

Although one of America's best-known animal charities, PETA's methods have long attracted controversy. Founded in 1980, the organization champions the rights of animals and has a host of celebrity supporters including actress Pamela Anderson, Joker star Joaquin Phoenix and 30 Rock actor Alec Baldwin.

However, PETA's publicity stunts have come under fire. Its National Boob Day social post in 2021—which compared women to cows—was labeled sexist, while the organization has been criticized many times for claiming that milk is linked to autism.

In April 2022, the charity was mocked after protestors—including Succession actor James Cromwell—glued themselves to a table in Starbucks to fight the company's plant-based milk charge.

Update 11/27/23, 9:50 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with a statement from PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk.