Rhode Island SPCA investigates turkey slaughtering group for potential abuse

A video of a man hitting a turkey with a baseball bat during a turkey slaughter that was posted on social media caught the attention of animal welfare investigators.

The video purportedly shows the turkey getting hit twice and still flapping after the second strike.

The Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is investigating the incident, which apparently took place in Burrillville.

“It's disturbing,” Earl Newman of the RISPCA told NBC 10 News. "We understand that animals are slaughtered for human consumption, but it needs to be done in a method that's appropriate, that doesn't cause unnecessary pain and suffering to the animal and that quickly ends the animal's life."

Newman said hitting the bird with a bat is certainly not proper.

"That method is specifically prohibited under Rhode Island law, striking an animal with any sort of blunt object like that," he said.

The video purportedly shows a turkey being decapitated for slaughter, which is allowed.

NBC 10 News spoke to a man who is familiar with what he said is the annual turkey slaughter. He said the slaughter involved dozens of people in Burrillville and that he also talked to the SPCA.

The man said he was not there when the video was recorded, but has regularly taken part as someone who raised turkeys in the past. He said they thought using a bat is an acceptable way to incapacitate larger turkeys immediately before decapitating them, adding that they've been doing it for years and if they're doing something wrong, he wants to know.

But the SPCA said they already should know that.

"If you're participating in that type of business, you have a responsibility to make sure that you're doing things legally and ethically for the animal," Newman said.

Officials at the RISPCA said they are trying to talk to people in the video, as well as people who were at the turkey slaughter, as they try to determine if there should be charges.

"It was obvious that their attempts weren't immediately effective, probably causing significant pain and unnecessary suffering to the animal," Newman said.