Turkeys are terrorizing Teaneck township, New Jersey and after more than a dozen complaints so far this year, the health officer is distributing 20 air horns in an attempt to deal with these surly birds.
“Hopefully this will help a lot,” said Amy Schweitzer of the Department of Environmental Protection’s fish and wildlife division.
The problem is so bad that residents are actually referring to the birds as “gangster”. Their aggressive nature and pack mentality have residents searching for humane ways to deal with the birds.
“They’re like gangster turkeys,” says Courtney Lopchinsky, a resident who told CBS 2 of a wild turkey crashing through her kitchen window at dinner time. “They terrorize kids at bus stops and chase people to their cars.”
In what is being labelled as “humane harassment”, the township is arming the public with information that will help them to deal with aggressive turkeys and humane methods for dealing with strong-willed toms.
The aggressive behavior displayed by these birds is normal during this time of year, particularly in male turkeys, as the breeding season heats up. During the summer months, flocks of wild turkeys break up and reports of this kind of activity decrease greatly.
Until then, residents are urged to utilize noisemakers, garden hoses and other forms of protection when dealing with combative birds.
Amy Schweitzer of the Department of Environmental Protection’s fish and wildlife division suggests residents experiencing problems with a problem bird should contact police. She has stated that her personal response time has risen to between 60 and 90 minutes over the past couple of weeks.