By Khalida Sarwari
A pair of tom turkeys that were part of a flock raised for the National Thanksgiving Turkey Pardoning Ceremony in Washington, D.C., are moving into their new home today at San Jose’s Happy Hollow Park & Zoo.
The turkeys were among 25 selected from a flock of 20,000 raised by Foster Farms for the ceremony.
The National Turkey is a tradition that dates back to 1947. Each year, expert Foster Farms growers select a turkey from the group of 25, which are raised on a farm in Modesto, to be pardoned in a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden.
Although the turkeys moving to Happy Hollow were not chosen to meet the president, they are still part of the presidential flock.
The 45-pound turkeys will live in the Double “H” Ranch area of the zoo, where guests will have close contact with them, according to curator Valerie Riegel. They have been trained to be more comfortable in a climate with people, sights and sounds than most turkeys.
The birds are a breed that originated in Sonoma Valley and are known for having thick, white, smooth plumage and brightly colored heads.
Happy Hollow Park & Zoo is inviting the community to suggest names for the turkeys at their website, www.hhpz.org. Zoo staff will choose three names for each bird and then put them up for a vote in January.