Continuing a Thanksgiving tradition at the White House, President Barack Obama pardoned two turkeys today, saving them from a fate of being plucked, stuffed, and enjoyed at a dinner table. 

USA Today is reporting that the tradition dates back to Abraham Lincoln's times, when the legendary President pardoned a turkey that his son had taken a shine to. "The office of the presidency - the most powerful position in the world - brings with it many awesome and solemn responsibilities," Obama said during a ceremony on the North Portico. "This is not one of them."

Caramel and Popcorn -- the names of the two turkeys that were pardoned -- grew up on a farm in Minnesota, and will now be able to live their lives in peace on George Washington's Mount Vernon estate, where they'll also be available for public viewing. 

The Obama family will also be conducting a Thanksgiving-related public service event later today.

But just because these turkeys are pardoned, doesn't mean they go on to live a long life.

According to Fox News, that's because these big birds are bred for eating, not living. Their sole goal is to fatten up and take center stage on the dinner table. The lucky few who escape the Thanksgiving chopping block end up dying soon after because they are too big to live, experts say. 

In the wild, turkeys grow to be about eight pounds whereas the average Thanksgiving turkey balloons to more than 20 pounds. According to Scientific American, by 22 weeks a slaughter-ready bird will have eaten about 116 pounds of feed. A 2010 report for the Humane Society says that these one-time "Birds of Courage" are so fat that they have been turned into a "flightless gargantuan" that are "on the verge of structural collapse."

"Their skeletons are often unable to adequately support such weight, leading to valgus-varus angular ('knocked-kneed') bone deformities, degenerative hip joint disease and up to 20 percent mortality due to lameness in problem flocks," the report said.