"How Social Media Rescued the Turkeys" by Janaki Nair, Nov. 2023 Runner Up

Tom and friends regrouped at the local farmers market. He stood on a podium and announced. “We are being killed for your liking. We request you to stop killing us. Who is supporting us?”. They assumed that the Gobshire community would stop and listen to them. Instead everyone turned their back and continued with their busy schedule. Just as Tom and his friends were leaving, a boy named George came by and said, “I support you.”. George knew animal languages since he spent time at grandpas’ farm.

After listening to their concern, George recommended using social media to reach the citizens in such a short time and offered his help. George helped with the creation of TikTok,Youtube, Facebook and Instagram accounts. He also translated Tom’s language to English and uploaded appealing videos from the turkey community. To their surprise, the videos went viral and became an international campaign with 5 million followers.

Social media hashtag #SaveTheTurkeys became a trend. #FriendsOfTurkey organized a peaceful march and appealed to the Governor, who invited George and Tom to his office. The Governor listened to their concern while Tom explained their rights to live and contributions to the society. He was impressed by their global influence and motive. Next day, the Governor (along with Tom and George), made a press conference explaining the appeal and conducted an urgent referendum. Referendum #SaveTheTurkeys got 97% approval and many citizens expressed their appreciation for turkeys.

Since then, Gobshire has been celebrating Thanksgiving without killing any turkeys.