Yeah, “paw” typically is understood to mean the forefoot of furry animals without hooves or similar. I think most people would say “hand” for a monkey, but language isn’t always precise, and the phrase “monkey’s paw” (as a magical item) is at least a hundred years old too.
“Paw” does not mean “palm”. It effectively means “animal forefoot” for furry animals with soft-bottomed round-ish feet.
Great job you “animal loving” fucking hypocrites.
Who are you referring to with this last bit? Doesn’t seem likely to be the Department of Agriculture or the FSIS, but no one else is mentioned in the article (unless I missed it).
I could believe that it might be a local or even vocation-specific phrase (see “southpaw” in boxing, for example), but the doubling down instead of questioning whether their take might be hyperspecific or plain wrong is hilarious.