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0 In the upscale Boston neighborhood of Cambridge, wild turkeys are terrorizing the streets by taking over roads in groups and chasing down children.
Earlier this week, it was reported that a mailman in the area was attacked, which did not come as a surprise to residents because it is an issue they’ve now been dealing with for years.
A video shared with a local news outlet showed a large handful of the birds circling a sidewalk as cars drive by.
The daily turkey trot reportedly takes place around the time that neighborhood kids are leaving for school in the morning. Kids have learned to become mindful of the birds’ presence, lest they be chased.
Massachusetts has a wild turkey population of about 25,000
Emily Hill, who lives in Cambridge on a block sometimes occupied by the feathered frenemies said: ‘It’s something you have to be conscious of walking down the street because they will chase after us.’
Hill and her seven-year-old daughter Julia have firsthand experience with the group.
Last fall, Hill said, ‘a turkey crossed the road. We got her (Julia) off her scooter and tried to wave it to scare it away.’
But the turkey only ‘got even more aggressive and started running after us,’ she said.
The pair made it home unscathed but walk their quiet neighborhood streets with an increased sense of caution now.
‘They are all over. They travel in big herds. They jump up in treed,’ said continued.
Jonathan Elsner, another neighborhood resident who shot some video of the birds taking over the sidewalk said: ‘I always walk the kids to school. I don’t let them go alone.’
His young daughter’s friends recently found themselves being chased by the large birds on their way to school.
‘Suddenly they just cocked their heads and they had to run really fast,’ said Mika Elsner.
‘They ran up a hill and around a corner but it was like terrifying,’ she said about her friends, who escaped the incident unharmed.
Those school girls and other neighbors now remain on edge as they try to always keep a safe distance from the birds.
Emily Hill, who lives in Cambridge on a block sometimes occupied by the feathered frenemies said: ‘It’s something you have to be conscious of walking down the street because they will chase after us’
Some of the wild turkeys that amble around the streets of Cambridge, terrifying local residents and children
Mika Elsner recounted a recent story of the turkeys chasing her friends on their way to school
‘If you try to shoo them away it actually antagonizes them and they will come after you,’ said Hill.
While the turkey population has marched around Cambridge for a number of years, residents say that over the last many months, the population size appears to have increased. About 25,000 wild turkeys currently reside in Massachusetts.
Turkeys are attracted to shiny objects – like hubcaps on cars – and windows. They sometimes become aggressive when they see their reflections.
