Efforts Mount to Conserve Wild Turkey Breeds

On November 22, Americans observe Thanksgiving, an iconic harvest festival with roots in the nation's 17th-century settlement by European colonists. Roasted turkey is the traditional centerpiece.

But the breeds of wild turkey on the table in early America have nearly disappeared, replaced by a domesticated bird that is bigger, faster-growing and cheaper to raise. Around the world, many traditional livestock breeds are disappearing as industrial meat production takes over from small producers. But some are trying to preserve their old varieties as insurance against an uncertain future.