When animal rights activist showed up at Gary Franz’s Plank Road turkey farm, he gave them a turkey.
It seemed to be the only way to get rid of them, says the veteran farmer.
It all started Monday when 20 activists, some members of Sarnia Animal Save others from Windsor-Detroit Animal Save, protested in front of the farm.
Franz thought they had left but heard a knock on his door. Three young women who were part of the group were there. So, Franz sat with them outside and “we talked about turkey.
“At one point I thought, ‘oh no, what am I getting myself into.’”
Soon Franz and the women were walking toward a barn where they activist took video. “They wanted to have one of them. I said, ‘You need a place to keep the it.’ They said they have a sanctuary.’”
In the video, Franz goes to get a birds and hand it over to the activist. “This is beautiful,” she says. The other activist openly wept on the video saying they were “liberating” the turkey who would now be “free from pain and suffering.”
One of the activist invited Franz to come visit the animal at the sanctuary adding they have “no ill will against you or your family.”
Franz says since the incident, other farmers suggested he should have thrown the protesters off his property. He didn’t see the need to.
“They were very polite and interesting to talk to; why would I throw them off.”
Besides, he says, he has nothing to hide. “We don’t slaughter here. We showed them the barns, the young turkeys have lots of room.”