The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Postal Service are investigating whether a Sacramento County postman bludgeoned a wild turkey to death with a pole — and whether his actions were justified.
According to KCRA, the turkeys roam freely in the Northern California neighborhood and are “generally minding their own business” – but lately they have been particularly aggressive towards delivery drivers and their behavior has divided residents.
“I love turkeys,” local resident Debbie Eastman told the outlet. “They’re just a friendly little part of the neighborhood.”
However, other residents say they terrorize the community.
“They are pests and bullies,” another neighbor, Kate, who chose not to share her surname, told KCRA. “They harass the mail people. They hunt them. I personally had to intervene when they jumped on the back of a postman.
According to CDFW, wild turkeys occupy 18% of the state of California. While a handful of stray turkeys from a flock are usually no problem, owners who feed them run the risk of causing the turkeys to lose their fear of humans – sometimes resulting in unwarranted aggression, particularly during mating season. , when known to threaten, charge and attack people.
“You’d be surprised how aggressive they can be,” CDFW director and spokesperson Patrick Foy told KCRA. “Especially the big toms.”
Once turkeys reach adulthood and weigh up to 20 pounds, they can wreak havoc on an owner’s property: they can destroy flowers and vegetable patches, defecate on patios and decks, and roost on cars, scratching the paint.
Game wardens are still investigating the incident to see if the postman committed a crime. Foy tells KCRA that in the past postal workers have tried pepper spraying turkeys, kicking them and even hitting them with their mailbags – but nothing works.
“I’m going to believe he did it because he felt threatened,” Kate told the outlet. “They literally attack postmen all the time.”
But other residents like Eastman still see the situation as a tragedy: “We’re really upset that someone beat a turkey to death.
