Animal rights group seeks Utah roadside memorial for dead turkeys

By Laila Kearney May 2, 2014 3:49 PM

(Reuters) - Animal rights activists want to erect a roadside memorial placard to honor hundreds of "terrified turkeys" killed in a tractor-trailer accident on a Utah highway last week, transportation officials said on Friday.

The sign, which an official said was not likely to be approved, would be placed near the crash site in the rural town of Wallsburg, where a truck hauling about 700 live, crated turkeys crashed through a guard rail and landed in a reservoir on April 24.

"In memory of the hundreds of terrified turkeys who died here in a truck crash. Try vegan,” is the proposed message on the sign that would also display the image of a turkey. Placement would be under a standard Utah traffic sign that says “Drive Safely. Buckle Up.”

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Aggressive Turkey, Named 'Godzilla,' Stalks Detroit-Area Woman Daily (VIDEO)

COMMERCE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — An Oakland County woman says she's become a prisoner on her own property, stalked and harassed by a 25-pound turkey.

Edna Geisler calls the foul bird "Godzilla." The 69-year-old told the Detroit Free Press ( ) that the turkey wanders near her Commerce Township property each day from nearby woods. She recently couldn't get to her front door after a trip to the grocery store.

"I have to go to the post office at 6 o'clock in the morning to avoid him," said Geisler, who has been bumped and clawed.

She has tried changing her schedule but this turkey is no dummy. A friend, Rick Reid, said the turkey went after him, too, when he opened the door on his minivan.

"He tried to come right in the door," Reid said. "He bit me on the elbow."

Indeed, a video posted online by the Free Press shows Godzilla roaming the grounds like they're his own. State wildlife expert Tim Payne said adult turkeys are known to aggressively defend their territory, although most fear people.

"This bird has probably attacked, and the person retreats," said Payne of the Department of Natural Resources. "What it tells the bird is, `What I'm doing is good.' It reinforces the aggressive behavior."

Payne suggested Geisler open a large umbrella to drive the turkey back to the woods.

"Make some runs at the bird and become the aggressor," he said. "The bird needs to learn who's the boss."

Geisler wants the turkey gone by summer so she can work in her garden. The hunting season opens in April.

"Every time I eat turkey I smile," she said. "I'd like to do that to him."

Watch video here:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/05/aggressive-turkey-stalks-woman_n_1321669.html

Turkeys terrorize New York neighborhood

NEW YORK, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Residents of a New York neighborhood said aggressive turkeys are terrorizing the area.


Locals in the Ocean Breeze neighborhood said the fowl have been blocking traffic, filling their yards with droppings and even trapped resident Gina Guaragno in her car for a short time before she splashed them with window washing fluid, the New York Daily News reported Wednesday.

Residents said the turkey trouble began about 10 years ago after a woman released her nine pets, and the state Department of Environmental Conservation estimates there are now about 100 of the wild birds in the neighborhood.

City Councilman James Oddo said many area seniors have told him they are afraid to leave their homes. He said officials balked at a plan he forwarded two years ago to move the turkeys upstate.

"How are people supposed to have faith that their government can deal with problems like terrorism when we can't even deal with turkeys?" Oddo said.

Brazen turkeys ruffle feathers at Mich. business

JACKSON, MI -- Wild turkeys are turning into bullies in one Michigan town.

Tri-County International Trucks employee Dave Dodes told the Jackson Citizen Patriot that three of the birds scared a truck driver so much he stayed in his vehicle when he stopped at the truck service shop Friday.

He said a company worker had to create a diversion so the driver could escape, and the turkeys chased both men inside the building in an industrial area at the edge of Jackson, Mich.

Dodes says the birds had been seen near the building for a long time but only recently turned aggressive.

He says "they're not afraid of traffic, and now they chase people around."

Jackson is about 65 miles west of Detroit.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/bizarre&id=6721960&cmp=emc-ktrk-Todays_News-032309-abc13.com_Bizarre_News5-6721960