Remembering Boris
Animal Stories from All-Creatures.org

FROM UPC United Poultry Concerns
November 2021

He was not more than 2 years old, but as a male turkey rescued from the meat industry, he became too heavy for his legs to support him, and he suffered.

Photo by Susan Rayfield

Dear UPC,

I want to let you know how happy my sister and I were to be able to bring Boris and Florence to your sanctuary. It's a wonderful feeling to know that they will live out their lives so happy and well cared for.

Florence is doing fine, but on February 14th, we had our veterinarian come to the sanctuary and put Boris to sleep due to his inability to walk anymore. He was not more than 2 years old, but as a male turkey rescued from the meat industry, he became too heavy for his legs to support him, and he suffered.

We miss him very much and would like to share with our members the poem that his gracious rescuers and sponsors, Marie Gleason and Terry Kleeman, wrote in his memory.

You never really got to see
The real turkey inside of me.
The one with a body my frame could have supported
The one with feet where my toes weren't aborted.
The one who could eat his food with a beak
Like a real bird and not a geek.
The one who wanted to have a mate
But was too large to propagate.
My life had one saving grace
And it was Karen Davis's place.
Yes, a human too was she
But one who took care of me.
I only knew fear and pain
Now happiness did remain.
Thank you Karen for giving me the chance
To spread my feathers and do a turkey prance.
In my last year, I almost got to be
The real turkey inside of me.

Love Boris

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