Wauwatosa turkeys are still gobbling up attention but experts say they'll likely be less visible next month
Months after three "aggressive turkeys" were captured and euthanized in Wauwatosa, some residents are still having regular run-ins with turkeys.
The birds have been seen chasing down delivery drivers and scaring TV news reporters in recent weeks. Some even made their way onto the interstate.
But experts say it's possible for humans and turkeys to peacefully coexist. And they'll likely be less visible in urban environments in the coming weeks and months.
"In May, turkeys will be either sitting on nests or more solitary in nature, and you shouldn't see groups of them," said Dan Hirchert, the state director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture APHIS Wildlife Services.
It's not clear how many turkeys are in Wauwatosa now, but there have been no confirmed turkey attacks since the three turkeys were captured in February, according to Laura Stephens, Wauwatosa's health officer.
"We do not have plans to remove any more turkeys," Stephens said. "While this is an option in extreme circumstances, we will continue to work with residents to provide education for coexisting peacefully."
'In most cases, you're bigger than them'
Humans should not be afraid of turkeys, Hirchert said.
"In most cases, you're bigger than them," he said. "Keep that in mind."
But you should still avoid turkeys in public if you're able to. Don't go near them if you don't have to, Hirchert noted.
But try not to obviously avoid them, as turkeys can read body language.
"If you're skirting away from them, they know at that point they have the upper hand," Hirchert said.
"Just go about your business," he added.
You probably don't need to be worried if you're walking a dog, but be sure to keep its leash on. If you're walking a small dog and come near a turkey, you can simply pick it up or cross the street, Hirchert suggested.
If you encounter turkeys regularly, you could carry an umbrella. Opening it when turkeys get too close can help create a barrier between you and the bird.
"At least you have something between you if people are having them get that close," Hirchert said.
One of the easiest ways to keep turkeys away from you or your home is to not feed them and remove any food sources from your property.
Food resources for turkeys can include bird feeders, gardens, dog food left outside and more. Open, grassy areas are also something turkeys look for.
"That's typically the root of a lot of problems, is feed," Hirchert said.
But you'll likely be seeing fewer turkeys in the coming weeks as breeding season is in April.
"A lot of times they can get aggressive toward each other, because the males are often trying to establish dominance," Hirchert said about the breeding season.
But that won't be the case for long. Larger groups of turkeys should start to break up after breeding season, which occurs in April.
Is relocation an option?
In Wauwatosa, the city received a permit from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to remove aggressive turkeys from the city.
That occurred after the city received a report from Outpost about a confirmed attack on a person.
Nathan Holoubek, a wildlife biologist with the DNR, said that when the agency gets a complaint from a specific municipality, it determines how severe the issue is to see whether a removal permit is necessary.
"In the case of aggressive turkeys, if there's a health and human safety concern, we do consider that a very legitimate reason, and we work with the city to set up a good plan," Holoubek said.
The first step is "non-lethal mitigation," which can include removing food sources.
If there's a severe problem or a health and human safety concern, that's when a permit can be approved to remove the turkeys. Many permits have the option to euthanize or relocate the turkey.
For relocation, the city can pick a spot as close as possible to where the turkey was seen so its habitat is similar. That can help its survival chances, according to Holoubek.
In Wauwatosa, the three birds were euthanized and donated to a local food pantry.
"Because they had a very well established pattern of aggression toward humans, we considered both options, and they certainly could have been possibly relocated, but in my professional opinion, if they're attacking people and we move them to another location, they're going to continue to attack people in that new location as well," Holoubek said.
"The city did not have an adequate location within those parameters to release these birds without possibly creating another conflict for residents," Hirchert also said.
That choice was met with some criticism, as an online petition, which had nearly 800 signatures as of April 5, says the city of Wauwatosa violated its own policy after capturing and killing three "aggressive turkeys" earlier in the month.
A city spokesperson said the city has no such policy regarding turkeys or the removal of turkeys.
"Sign this petition to let the City of Wauwatosa, the Wauwatosa Health Department and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources know that their disregard of official city policy and abandonment of public trust resulting in the killing of innocent wildlife is unacceptable and will not be tolerated," says the petition at bit.ly/PetitionTosaTurkeys.
Here's why it's important not to feed wildlife human food, according to the U.S. Department of Natural Resources:
"Human food can lead to diseases in wildlife. Most human food does not meet nutritional needs of wildlife and can cause serious health problems.
"Animals have specialized diets. Because human food is nutrient deficient for wildlife, animals may become malnourished or die when fed human food.
"Human food can cause damage to animals. Animals do not distinguish packaging from food, and the packaging may be consumed resulting in abrasions, sickness and even death."
Evan Casey can be reached at 414-403-4391 or evan.casey@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter @ecaseymedia.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wild turkeys in Wauwatosa will be less visible starting in May