A farm sanctuary in the Southern Tier is garnering national attention.

A dozen of celebrities, including Billie Eilish and Joaquin Phoenix, have signed a petition calling on President Joe Biden to allow pardoned turkey's to live at the Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen.

Biden granted clemency to turkeys named Peanut Butter and Jelly last week.

The team at the upstate sanctuary spent Thanksgiving being thankful for the birds themselves.

Tucked away in the Finger Lakes is 275 scenic acres of land dedicated to the more than 700 rescued farm animals that live here.

“We started in 1986 as an all-volunteer organization partially funded by selling veggie hot dogs out of a Volkswagen Van at Grateful Dead Concerts,” Andrew O’Donnell said.

Andrew is a 6’5” tour guide, educator, animal lover and vegan. Oh, and his grandfather played for the Buffalo Bills.

Twenty-one of these birds escaped the dining room table to live out the rest of their natural lives here, serving as feathered ambassadors to the thousands of visitors who pass through. Andrew says there’s more to turkeys than meets the eye.

“They have these little quirks and behaviors,” Andrew said. “They have this social structure that they follow.  There’s so much smarter than people realize.”

These turkeys can probably smell a meat eater. It’s understandable - 236 million are served for dinner every year, 68 million over the holiday season alone, even these surviving birds are negatively impacted by our diets and the industry that feeds it.

Despite cruelty these animals have suffered, they still warm up people.

Each year, Farm Sanctuary holds its celebration for the turkeys, allowing friends to enjoy some traditional Thanksgiving sides. It draws hundreds of curious onlookers allowing the public to see them in new light.

And to help this non-profit care for these birds, and prevent other farm animals from being mistreated, you can symbolically adopt a turkey for a $35 donation. You’ll get a certificate, a photo, and the details your Turkey’s rescue story.

If you’d like to take part in the Adopt-a-Turkey Program, go to Farmsanctuary.org.