Heartbreaking images of Butterball slaughterhouse workers torturing and sexually abusing turkeys sparked outrage just before Thanksgiving as news of the gruesome acts resurfaced on social media.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) launched an undercover investigation into the Butterball location in Ozark, Arkansas between April and July 2006.

An unnamed researcher revealed the alleged atrocities he witnessed – including sexual assault on the birds – when workers “chained and slaughtered” more than 50,000 turkeys every day, according to PETA.

In the shockingly graphic video, the investigator claimed he saw a Butterball employee stick his finger into a turkey’s cloaca, or vagina, for “fun.”

Another worker allegedly “humped” a turkey while it was being held.

The researcher recalled another terrifying example, when a “worker challenged another worker by holding a bird by the legs and pulling her back and forth.

“The second man grabbed the bird and hit her.”

Footage showed workers aggressively handling several turkeys, throwing, beating and hanging them to death.

Footage from the 2006 undercover PETA investigation showed suffering turkeys at a Butterball factory in Arkansas

A Butterball employee was filmed roughly handling a turkey. The researcher recalled several stories of abuse and cruelty

The 2006 video resurfaced just days before Thanksgiving, with many people expressing their disgust and outrage. Some claimed they are returning their Butterball turkeys

“Nothing human has ever happened in a slaughterhouse,” Amber Canavan, the Vegan Campaign Project Manager for PETA, told DailyMail.com.

As written in the investigator’s witness log: ‘One worker took a live bird and stomped on her head, crushing her skull until her head exploded. Then he laughed and wiped the blood from his leg. He also threw birds against the concrete and hit others.’

During his forty-day stay in the horrific facility, the witness workers smashed birds against metal bars and violently broke their backs and legs.

The researcher pondered the bulging bird eyeballs, exposed spines and severed limbs in the chilling video.

“The workers at this factory were clearly not trained in animal welfare – some workers even bragged about their abuse,” he claimed.

Just days before Thanksgiving, the unflattering images have left social media users cringing in disgust, with some calling for a boycott.

“This breaks my heart,” someone commented on a clip of the video on TikTok.

Another user said: ‘I just bought a Butterball turkey today and will definitely be returning it tomorrow morning.’

The study took place between April and July 2006 in Butterball’s Ozark, Arkansas.

Turkeys were said to be chained by their legs and the witness claimed that their limbs would sometimes be torn off

One commenter wondered, “Why are people so horrible? I have turkeys and chickens and they are so sweet and affectionate.”

In another TikTok post, the user declared “Y’all better not eat Butterball turkey this year” and called the company “insane.”

“That made me physically sick,” one viewer commented on the gruesome video.

Another said, “My parents bought butter turkeys for Thanksgiving. I won’t be able to eat it.’

Another video showed a woman “on her way to return this Butterball Turkey after SA (sexual assault) charges.”

Someone commented: ‘I swear I’m going to buy one just to bury it and cry. It’s so sad what those birds have been through.’

“The reaction we’re seeing from people online is exactly what every animal advocate wants to see right before Thanksgiving,” Canavan added. “We’re seeing dozens and dozens of people renounce Turkey this year.”

She emphasized the idea that it is “easier than ever” to purchase vegan alternatives that “do not require animals to undergo the torture of the slaughterhouse.”

Ahead of the holiday, PETA has been sharing content on social media urging viewers to skip the poultry staple this year.

More than 50,000 turkeys were “chained and slaughtered” every day, one witness recalled

“It’s never too late to go out and grab that vegan roast,” Canavan said. “Save that turkey from the horrors of the slaughterhouse.”

In response to the online comments the company is receiving, a Butterball representative wrote to DailyMail.com:

‘We are aware of a video from almost twenty years ago that is being re-shared on social media. This video is not current and does not reflect our animal welfare policy in any way.

‘Animal care and welfare are central to who we are as a company, and we are committed to the ethical and responsible care of our flocks. “That means maintaining the health and well-being of our turkeys is an ongoing effort.”

The spokesperson added that Butterball has annual audits conducted by a third party to ensure its facilities meet “more than 200 science-based best practice standards for turkey care.”

She added, “Butterball was the first and remains the only turkey company to be American Humane certified. We are proud to be serving 1 in 3 turkeys this Thanksgiving.”

This month alone, Butterball has sold about 15 million turkeys nationwide, Fleet Owner reported.

PETA claims its revelation from nearly two decades ago is not a one-off.

“PETA has conducted even more recent investigations that continue to show that abuse is rampant,” Canavan said.

She pointed to another 2021 PETA investigation into Plainville Farms, which “also documented employees simulating sex acts with turkeys.”

The undercover investigator said what he saw at the Butterball Slaughterhouse was terrifying

As a result of the investigation, employees at the Pennsylvania plant faced several felonies and 141 charges.

The 2006 investigation resulted in no charges against Butterball, but years later charges were filed against employees in a separate situation.

In 2011, a Butterball factory in North Carolina was raided after workers were caught mistreating turkeys.

In an investigation similar to PETA’s, nonprofit organization Mercy for Animals went undercover and witnessed several cases of animal cruelty.

Multiple employees were hit with charges related to the reported abuse. They were captured on video kicking and stomping the helpless birds.