Post by Freedom on Jun 17, 2010 23:23:22 GMT -5
Not certain if this is the same couple, yet got to see a unusual display of the Turkey gobbler halting traffic last year, by parading around it's partner while both were half way in the main road. Quite the display.
......
Nantucket turkey trouble ruffles feathers
By ELIOT BAKER
THE INQUIRER AND MIRROR
June 14, 2010
NANTUCKET –The island might have to go cold turkey on a couple of gobblers with a mean streak that have harassed at least three residents to the point they called authorities for assistance.
Environmental police Officer Sgt. Keith Robinson said he fielded anxious calls about the birds – which he believes to be two toms – roughly every other day for the past two weeks. A week ago, police were called about an ornery bird harassing a resident on Wood Hollow Road.
“I haven't seen the birds draw any blood but they can be a problem for kids, especially,” said Robinson, who is working with Mass-Wildlife on how to deal with the turkeys. He said he is currently leaning toward corralling them, but he will await state approval for a plan of action.
In the meantime, Robinson recommended using a garden hose to spray water on aggressive birds, shooing them away with a blunt object, or making noise and waving your arms to frighten them off. He stressed that while people should not allow the birds to dictate dominance in any situation, people must not take the law into their own hands by harming or killing the turkeys, which would be illegal.
“They are more a nuisance than anything else,” said Robinson. “They do defecate on properties. I had one guy explain how the bird came at him in flight two feet off the ground looking to use its spurs. ... I don't know how sharp it is or how that would inflict that much damage, but people can freak out. They can be pretty impressive. They spread every feather of their body to give the impression that they're much larger than they are. I've seen grown men hightail it out of there.”
Robinson has also fielded complaints of turkeys trapping people in their cars with aggressive displays and chasing people around their property.
That said, Robinson added that for every complaint against the turkeys, he's interviewed other residents who found the birds to be no trouble. Robinson's investigation of the area revealed that the turkeys have a food source that continues to draw them, be it from people feeding the birds directly or making pet and bird feed easily available to them.
He said the two turkeys have approached him in a manner that led him to believe the birds were looking to be fed.
“Sometimes we are our own worst enemies,” said Robinson. “A lot of times people will feed these things and that serves as a force to draw these turkeys. ... People need to understand, although they mean well, it can cause more harm than good. They'll never leave if you start feeding them.”
The MassWildlife website notes that wild turkeys are making a comeback in Massachusetts and that they can indeed be an aggressive species. While turkeys are not “territorial,” they are hierarchical and may try to incorporate people into their pecking order, according to the MassWildlife website.
Not all officers are as committed to living peacefully with wildlife as Robinson.
Perhaps the most violent collision between man and turkey in recent years occurred on Martha'sVineyard on Father's Day in 2008. Officers in Chilmark emptied four rounds from a 9 mm Glock into a turkey after it charged them while they were responding to a call that the bird attacked two people who were delivering rental baby equipment.
The officers were then confronted by the turkey's owner, Jonathan Haar, who had fed it since it was a chick and named it Tom. Haar's charges for assault and battery on a police officer and for resisting arrest were ultimately dismissed.
Robinson said he had did not foresee lethal force being an option for Nantucket's turkeys.
“There is no plan to use deadly force,” said Robinson. “That'd be overkill. That'd be going overboard.”
......
Nantucket turkey trouble ruffles feathers
By ELIOT BAKER
THE INQUIRER AND MIRROR
June 14, 2010
NANTUCKET –The island might have to go cold turkey on a couple of gobblers with a mean streak that have harassed at least three residents to the point they called authorities for assistance.
Environmental police Officer Sgt. Keith Robinson said he fielded anxious calls about the birds – which he believes to be two toms – roughly every other day for the past two weeks. A week ago, police were called about an ornery bird harassing a resident on Wood Hollow Road.
“I haven't seen the birds draw any blood but they can be a problem for kids, especially,” said Robinson, who is working with Mass-Wildlife on how to deal with the turkeys. He said he is currently leaning toward corralling them, but he will await state approval for a plan of action.
In the meantime, Robinson recommended using a garden hose to spray water on aggressive birds, shooing them away with a blunt object, or making noise and waving your arms to frighten them off. He stressed that while people should not allow the birds to dictate dominance in any situation, people must not take the law into their own hands by harming or killing the turkeys, which would be illegal.
“They are more a nuisance than anything else,” said Robinson. “They do defecate on properties. I had one guy explain how the bird came at him in flight two feet off the ground looking to use its spurs. ... I don't know how sharp it is or how that would inflict that much damage, but people can freak out. They can be pretty impressive. They spread every feather of their body to give the impression that they're much larger than they are. I've seen grown men hightail it out of there.”
Robinson has also fielded complaints of turkeys trapping people in their cars with aggressive displays and chasing people around their property.
That said, Robinson added that for every complaint against the turkeys, he's interviewed other residents who found the birds to be no trouble. Robinson's investigation of the area revealed that the turkeys have a food source that continues to draw them, be it from people feeding the birds directly or making pet and bird feed easily available to them.
He said the two turkeys have approached him in a manner that led him to believe the birds were looking to be fed.
“Sometimes we are our own worst enemies,” said Robinson. “A lot of times people will feed these things and that serves as a force to draw these turkeys. ... People need to understand, although they mean well, it can cause more harm than good. They'll never leave if you start feeding them.”
The MassWildlife website notes that wild turkeys are making a comeback in Massachusetts and that they can indeed be an aggressive species. While turkeys are not “territorial,” they are hierarchical and may try to incorporate people into their pecking order, according to the MassWildlife website.
Not all officers are as committed to living peacefully with wildlife as Robinson.
Perhaps the most violent collision between man and turkey in recent years occurred on Martha'sVineyard on Father's Day in 2008. Officers in Chilmark emptied four rounds from a 9 mm Glock into a turkey after it charged them while they were responding to a call that the bird attacked two people who were delivering rental baby equipment.
The officers were then confronted by the turkey's owner, Jonathan Haar, who had fed it since it was a chick and named it Tom. Haar's charges for assault and battery on a police officer and for resisting arrest were ultimately dismissed.
Robinson said he had did not foresee lethal force being an option for Nantucket's turkeys.
“There is no plan to use deadly force,” said Robinson. “That'd be overkill. That'd be going overboard.”