Wild Turkey Killed for Harassing People on University of Michigan Campus
“We were very surprised when yesterday morning law enforcement was seen chasing the turkey across Baxter Road”
Wild turkeys can be very aggressive and this one was clearly a menace.
MLive reports:
Turkey accused of harassing joggers at University of Michigan killed by DNR
The University of Michigan’s infamous north campus turkey appears to have strutted its way into the great beyond.
After they were unable to shoo the territorial bird away from the area surrounding the UM Transportation Research Institute, 2901 Baxter Road, and based on reports of aggressive behavior that included chasing bicyclists, walkers and joggers, Ann Arbor police requested the Department of Natural Resources permanently take care of the problem, DNR Law Enforcement Division Lt. Andrew Turner said.
A DNR officer, accompanied by Ann Arbor police, shot and killed the gobbler about 9 a.m. Monday, Sept. 16, he said.
It wasn’t entirely clear if it was the same turkey that was accused of attacking passersby last spring. University of Michigan police speculated in May that the turkey, which was making the social media rounds at the time, may have been hit and killed by a passing car.
“I have a feeling it was the primary turkey that has been most concerning to people,” said UM Transportation Research Institute spokeswoman Francine Romine, who works in a campus building nearby. “He wasn’t aggressive, but he could be perceived as being aggressive. He would walk up to people, people would try and take his picture … so we were concerned and wanted to move him someplace out of harm’s way …
“We were very surprised when yesterday morning law enforcement was seen chasing the turkey across Baxter Road … And then we heard shots fired and that was it.”
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Comments
Thanksgiving came early?
There’s one in the town next to mine which comes out occasionally and struts around a major traffic intersection in the center of downtown. And of course traffic dodges frantically to miss this thing in the middle of the road. I haven’t yet seen any traffic accidents caused by all this excitement, but it’s only a matter of time.
We had one of those, too, in Brevard, NC. He would strut around in the middle of a 4-lane highway, stopping traffic. It was hilarious! People would get out of their cars and chase him. Traffic would back up for a mile in either direction. This went on for months but one day, he just disappeared…
Most of us in my small town, slow down for, dogs, cats, deer, bears, even eagles when they are on or near the road. Seagulls and doves know that we won’t slow down so they tend to get our of our way. Ann Arbor has the usual number of college snowflakes it would appear.
That bird was a “jake”, which is a young male. It is evident from the small beard on his chest and other male features like the carunculated skin on his head. As a jake, he was not a real threat, just sort of a curious nuisance.
The most deadly thing a wild creature can do is to lose its fear of humans.
Well, he didn’t put his hands up.
No matter how wild the turkey, I have about 200 pounds on him. It would be his last harassing gobble.
Turkey Lives Matter? Apparently, not Necessarily..
Given that when I was a youngster we had wild turkeys on the brink of disappearing from the country, this is sort of good news. The wild turkey population has recovered to the point of being a PITA at times.
I brake for Wild Turkey.
We had a wild turkey near the main street in my local town, and it was going into the street after cars. I called local animal control and they promised me they would go out and catch it, but they did NOT, and the thing ended up run over.
Then the damn town put up a turkey metal sculpture of it. Made me mad. If they really liked the turkey, they would have caught it as I was promised and moved it. THEN built a damn sculpture.
All I can say is that I had many an encounter with Wild Turkey in college and lost every one of them. My med student buddy said that mixing it with coke was the problem…