There are many strange traditions in America that don't make a lot of sense to the rest of the world - but the most bizarre by far is the Thanksgiving turkey pardon.
Every year on the fourth Thursday of November, millions of Americans get together with their families to celebrate and enjoy a delicious meal.
It's bad news for turkeys, who are the centre piece of the feast, but one special bird always gets saved by the leader of the United States.
This year, President Joe Biden spared two turkeys, Chocolate and Chip, from being slaughtered - but what happens next for the pardoned poultry is usually surprisingly upsetting.
The origins of the unusual tradition date back to the days of Abraham Lincoln, whose son supposedly grew so attached to one bird that he begged his dad to spare it.
But the official turkey presentation to the president didn't start until 1947 - with the National Turkey Federation chosen to raise the birds.
President Harry Truman accepted the first turkey but actually chose not to spare it, and it was John F. Kennedy in 1963 who first decided to send it back to the farm.
The next few presidents had their turkeys killed, but Ronald Reagan decided to send the one presented to him to a petting zoo.
Under George H.W. Bush in 1989, it became a tradition to official pardon the bird at the White House, with at least one being saved each year ever since.
The 'presidential flock' of contenders are prepared for potential stardom from an early age and get used to being around crowds, lights and standing comfortably on a table.
It's now common for two turkeys to be given names and voters decided which one will be granted the coveted pardon via an online poll - but they both avoid the chop.
Before the ceremony, the birds stay in the luxurious Willard Hotel and this year's turkeys were pictured reclining in their fancy hotel room.
It's also become traditional to inject the pardon with a lot of foul-based puns and political comments.
President Barack Obama once said: "I do – I want to take a moment to recognize the great turkeys who weren't so lucky, who didn't get to ride the gravy train to freedom. Who met their fate with courage and sacrifice and proved that they weren't chicken. Yes, we cran!"
Back in 2018, President Donald Trump joked that the losing turkey "refused to concede" after a "free and fair election" and "demanded a recount".
"I'm sorry to tell you the result did not change," he told the bird, which is ironic considering what happened at the next election.
Last year, President Biden joked that peanut Butter and Kelly were selected on their "vaccination status", adding: "Yes, instead of getting basted, these two turkeys are getting boosted."
So what happens to the special birds once they are officially pardoned? Do they spend their days running in open fields?
The White House says that the birds are retired for some "much-deserved rest and relaxation" and neither bird makes an appearance on the president's Thanksgiving dining table.
The turkeys are said to spend the rest of their days in comfort with fresh bedding, a heater, food and water inside an indoor pavilion.
All of Obama's turkeys were sent to spend their twilight years in Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, and spent holidays in a public pen.
Others have been sent to a variety of locations, including Virginia Tech's Gobblers Rest exhibit in Blacksburg and a farm named Frying Pan Farm Park in Virginia.
Some birds during the Obama and Bush administrations were even briefly sent to Disneyland to greet crowds in the theme park and be paraded down Main Street.
However, the spared turkeys sadly never tend to live for very long.
Because they are farm-raised and bred to be eaten, they grow larger and faster than they would in the wild and do not have a particularly long lifespan.
"The bird is bred for the table, not for longevity," said Dean Norton, the director at Mount Vernon in charge of livestock back in 2013. "Some of [the pardoned turkeys] have been pretty short lived."
He claimed the turkeys are fed in a way that increases their weight and their organs can't handle the extra pounds.
"Your native bird can fly beautifully and roost in trees," Norton added, while the type that receive pardons "does not fly, has very short stubbly legs and typically last right up to Thanksgiving."
But the National Turkey Federation disagrees with any notion that the lives of these birds are cut short.
Keith Williams, spokesman for the NTF, said they are bred for consumption have a "life expectancy of about 18 weeks", adding: "They are not raised as pets and animals are not pets."
He said their short lives say more about Americans taste for turkey and breeding practices than mistreatment.
This year's birds, Chocolate and Chip, retire to North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina.
During the pardon, President Biden joked he would keep it short because "nobody likes it when the turkey gets cold."
He added: "The votes are in, they've been counted and verified, no ballot stuffing, no fowl play. The only red wave this season is going to be if German Shepherd Commander knocks over the cranberry sauce."
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