Wild turkey sparks hunt for angry bird at University of Michigan

By Serena Maria Daniels

DETROIT (Reuters) – A wild turkey is ruffling feathers at the University of Michigan, chasing pedestrians and cyclists, sneaking into dorms and even causing traffic delays by lying down in the middle of streets.

The turkey, which has been living on the Ann Arbor school’s North Campus for months, is now the target of a bird hunt because of its aggressive behavior, a campus official said.

“The challenge with turkeys is they can become very angry and aggressive,” said University of Michigan police spokeswoman Diane Brown.

The bird, which stands as tall as a person’s chest, has settled into a remote portion of campus where other wildlife, like deer, have been known to live, Brown said.

It has become something of a celebrity on campus, with students and staff reporting numerous sightings on social media.

At one point the brazen bird, dubbed “Turkey Tom,” even got into a dorm, according to student accounts.

“You know you live on North Campus when a turkey gets into your dorm … resulting in the place smelling awful,” student Samantha Sims tweeted in April.

The turkey has been causing a ruckus since at least the spring, when it and a feathered friend began chasing passers-by and laying down in the middle of streets, blocking traffic, campus officials and students said.

The second turkey was hit by a car, Brown said.

Campus police called in the Michigan Department of Natural Resources but the agency initially told school officials to leave the bird alone.

It wasn’t until campus officials received enough reports of its aggressive behavior that the state agency gave the university the okay to capture it, if they could.

Brown said she did not know whether the bird would be taken to a shelter or released in a more remote area after capture.

She suspected the turkey had moved to a more wooded area of campus, but also believed people could be feeding it.

(Editing by Victoria Cavaliere)