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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Vassia Barba

Raging wild turkey terrorises neighbourhood attacking and injuring residents

A raging wild turkey is terrorising a neighbourhood attacking and injuring residents - and even pecking at moving cars.

The bird has been wandering around Coon Rapids in Minnesota, US, for many months now and is becoming more aggressive with time, residents said.

A family in the neighbourhood named the turkey Reggie, after the main character in the movie Free Birds.

The fearless turkey has been seen trying to enter properties, chasing down cars, and pecking tyres.

It also has attacked people in the neighbourhood since it was first seen in the area around Thanksgiving of 2021.

It is unknown where the stray bird came from and how it ended up on the Minnesota streets, but locals said it hasn't left the area since then.

Locals said the turkey appeared in the area around Thanksgiving of 2021 and hasn't left since (CBS News)

Coon Rapids resident Rachael Gross told CBS News : "This turkey has literally taken over our life."

She said she lives in fear of going outside because of the bird chasing her and added: "This turkey attacks me every single day.

"Follows me, goes up my stairs, tries to get into my house. When I leave in my car, it follows my car.

"I have to carry my broom and my water and my golf club everywhere I go."

Residents live in fear of going outside because of the bird chasing them (CBS News)

Another resident, Emily Ahlsten said she worried about the kids who live in the area.

She noted: "My one-year-old grandbaby just moved in with us and I'm afraid to even take her outside especially when the weather gets warmer like we can't have people over, we can't have a barbecue.

"The kids that walk to the bus stop in the morning I have to come out and help them. But now they are smart and they carry sticks."

Locals are worried the bird might attack kids in the area (CBS News)

Residents reportedly reached out to the Department of Natural Resources. They were advised to take action to make the environment less friendly to the bird, such as by removing bird feeders or chopping down branches where the turkey nests.

The Department of Natural Resources advises on its website: "The best defence against aggressive or persistent turkeys is to prevent the birds from becoming habituated in the first place by being bold to them.

"Everyone in the neighbourhood must do the same; it will be ineffective if you do so only on your property.

"Each and every turkey must view all humans as dominant in the pecking order and respond to them as superiors rather than subjects. Habituated turkeys may attempt to dominate or attack people that the birds view as subordinates."

The wild turkey was named Reggie after the main character in the movie Free Birds (CBS News)

Ahlsten said: "It's not safe for anybody including the turkey so I would just like it to be relocated to a place it could be with other turkeys and not be a nuisance to people or potentially hurt somebody".

On relocating wild turkeys, the DNR says: "Trapping and relocating "nuisance" turkeys is not an option.

"The methods used to trap turkeys in remote areas are often impractical or ineffective in urban or suburban areas due to safety or disturbance.

"Released turkeys may also continue their inappropriate actions where they are released or may move substantial distances to other suburban sites."

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