Turkey Terrorists!

Turkeys terrorise town

06mar03

ROCKLAKE, North Dakota is is a town besieged by turkeys.

The birds were raised on a Rocklake farm but left to fend for themselves when the family left, said Towner County Deputy Jerry Martin.

In the summer, the birds hang out in the wild, but winter finds them in the town of about 150 people, where they eat at bird feeders and look for scraps from residents.

Martin said he had to rescue a woman who was trapped in her car after a group of turkeys stopped her from getting out.

"I had to chase them away with a broom," Martin said.

Officials said wild turkeys also have created problems in the towns of Minot and Wahpeton, and eventually will be trapped and moved to the wild.

"The trouble comes when someone who likes seeing them starts putting out food for them," said Greg Link, an assistant Game and Fish Department wildlife chief.

"Any wildlife that hangs around people isn't a good situation."

--Daily Telegraph, Sydney, Australia