Harrowing footage of Butterball slaughterhouse workers torturing and sexually abusing turkeys sparked outrage just before Thanksgiving, as news of the horrific acts resurfaced on social media.

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

According to PETA, an unidentified investigator revealed the alleged atrocities he witnessed – including sexual assaults on the birds – as workers “tied and slaughtered” more than 50,000 turkeys each day.

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

Another worker was said to have “bumped” a turkey while it was tied up.

The investigator recalled another haunting incident when a worker taunted another worker by holding a bird by its legs and jerking it back and forth.

“The second guy just grabbed the bird and hit her.”

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

“Nothing humane has ever happened in a slaughterhouse,” Amber Canavan, vegan campaign project manager at PETA, told DailyMail.com.

The investigator’s witness report states: “A worker took a live bird, stepped on her head and crushed her skull until her head exploded.” Then he laughed and wiped the blood from his leg. He also threw birds on the concrete and hit others.”

During his 40 days at the cruel facility, witnesses beat birds against metal bars and violently broke their backs and legs.

The investigator recalled bird eyes popping out, spines exposed and limbs torn off in the frightening video.

“The workers at this factory clearly had no training in animal welfare – some workers even bragged about their mistreatment,” he claimed.

Just days before Thanksgiving, the unflattering footage 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 posted to TikTok.

Another user chimed in: “I bought a Butterball turkey today and will definitely be returning it first thing in the morning.”

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

In another TikTok post, the user declared, “Better not eat Butterball turkey this year” and called the company “confused.”

“This made me physically sick,” one viewer responded to the grisly video.

Another added: “My parents bought butterball turkeys for Thanksgiving. ‘I won’t be able to eat it.’

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

Someone responded: “I swear I’m going to buy one to bury and cry.” “It’s so sad what these birds have been through.”

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

She highlighted the idea that it is “easier than ever” to buy vegan alternatives where “animals don’t have to endure the torment of the slaughterhouse.”

Ahead of the holidays, PETA shared social media content urging viewers to avoid the staple poultry this year.

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

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

“We are aware of a video from almost 20 years ago that is being re-shared on social media. This video is not current and does not in any way reflect our animal welfare policies.

“Animal care and animal welfare are of central importance to us as a company and we are committed to caring for our herds ethically and responsibly. This means maintaining the health and well-being of our turkeys is an ongoing effort.”

The spokesperson added that Butterball has annual third-party audits to ensure facilities comply with “over 200 science-based standards of best practice for turkey care.”

She added, “Butterball was the first and remains the only turkey company certified by American Humane.” “We are proud to be one of three turkeys on the table this Thanksgiving.”

This month alone, Butterball sold about 15 million turkeys nationwide, the fleet owner reported.

PETA claims that its exposé from nearly two decades ago is not an isolated incident.

“PETA has conducted even more recent research that still shows that abuse is widespread,” Canavan said.

She pointed to another 2021 PETA investigation into Plainville Farms that “also documented workers simulating sexual acts on turkeys.”

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

No charges were filed against Butterball as part of the 2006 investigation, but charges were filed against employees for a different situation years later.

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

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

Several workers have been charged in connection with the reported abuses. They were caught on video kicking and trampling on the helpless birds.