Moby has turkey issues
2002-11-07 10:11
Los Angeles - When it comes to animal rights, electronica-pop star Moby is talking turkey.
In a recorded telephone message, the 37-year-old singer, a vegan, is urging people to call Butterball turkey's recipe hotline and tell the company, "There is no proper way to kill and cook these beautiful birds".
"I've been a vegan since I was 21. I decided then that there was enough suffering in the world. I didn't want to be responsible for the suffering of animals," said Moby.
For several years, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) has had a toll-free hotline at 1-888-VEG-FOOD as a protest against Butterball's annual turkey-cooking tipline.
Moby's message will run until January 1, according to Peta, which claims that 40 million turkeys raised on farms for Thanksgiving alone live in filth and misery.
"Bred and drugged to produce abnormal amounts of flesh, these turkeys can barely stand up. Skeletal deformities, disease, and heart attacks are rampant," said Bruce Friedrich, a Peta spokesperson.
A spokesperson for Butterball, a registered trademark of ConAgra Foods Inc, disputed those claims.
"We are committed to the humane treatment of animals and Peta has a reputation for a radical interpretation of issues. We are not surprised by this tactic," said Butterball's Julie DeYoung.
The company said its own hotline at 1-800-BUTTERBALL, which it began in 1981, "helps more than 164 000 callers with almost any turkey question".
Peta's hotline also provides recipes and dinner tips for the "animal compassionate" crowd, including information on "tofurkys" or un-turkey's, Friedrich, said.
Other stars who have worked with Peta include Alec Baldwin and Paul McCartney. Singer Fiona Apple recorded the group's Thanksgiving message a few years ago.
Moby, who opened a vegan restaurant named TeaNY on Manhattan's Lower East Side, has supported Peta for about 10 years. "We set up tables during his concert tours as we do with an array of stars," said Friedrich.