Last November, just before Thanksgiving, rescuers from the New York-based NGO Humane Long Island intervened to save a turkey named Kevin from a meat market. Kevin’s condition was dire, prompting the vendor to willingly surrender him to the rescuers.
“In Kevin’s case, his entire back was torn up,” revealed Jessica Poutous of J and J Farms Animal Sanctuary to The Dodo. “He had scabs and lacerations running from the base of his neck to the base of his tail.”
Following his rescue, Kevin was relocated to Poutous’ farm sanctuary in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, where she and her team embarked on the journey of nursing him back to health.
“He was missing more feathers than not … making it impossible for him to go outside in the winter weather, even for a few minutes, without freezing,” Poutous recounted. “He ended up spending several months inside with us while his wounds healed and his plumage grew in.”
As Kevin’s plumage began to grow back, so did his curiosity. He eagerly began to explore the house, joyfully knocking things off of Poutous’ desk as she worked. According to Poutous, Kevin also had a fondness for country music, and he would enthusiastically “sing” along to his favorite tunes.
But Kevin’s fate wasn’t to remain a house turkey. As soon as he regained his health, Poutous and her team decided it was time to introduce him to the great outdoors.
When Kevin took his first steps outside, he was “flabbergasted,” Poutous recalled. “You could tell he loved the sensation of the warm sun on his face, but the realization that there was so much more to life was scary,” she added. “He was afraid to leave the hard surface of the stoop.”
To help Kevin overcome his hesitations, the sanctuary team started offering him short outdoor outings lasting about an hour before bringing him back inside to prevent him from feeling overwhelmed.
“Gradually, we increased the time he spent outdoors, eventually leading to his preference to be outside rather than in,” Poutous explained.
One factor that greatly aided Kevin’s transition was the companionship he found at the sanctuary. He formed a close bond with another rescued turkey named BB, who acted as a calming presence for Kevin during his outdoor excursions.
Today, Kevin is a fully integrated member of the outdoor flock at the sanctuary. Poutous shared that on most days, you can find Kevin “wandering the farm, dancing for his lady friends, grazing on a variety of grasses, and basking in the warmth of the sun’s rays.”