Residents terrorised by aggressive turkey

A turkey in Davis, California, known as Downtown Tom has become so aggressive residents have taken to calling 911 for help. The turkey spends most of his time hanging around the Wells Fargo parking lot in downtown, lunging at, circling and chasing after people.



The city’s even posted signs offering tips on how to handle the turkey. Officials recommend clapping your hands and shouting at the bird, not running away from it, and using whatever you’re carrying to block its approach toward you.



City Wildlife Resource Specialist John McNerney helped create the tips and also helped write a new ordinance passed last week that allows the city to euthanise aggressive turkeys. His advice is to not panic. “Be the dominant species, essentially," McNerney said.


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"Don’t let it intimidate you, which can be difficult for some folks.” On Tuesday, wildlife officials attempted to catch Downtown Tom without success. However, the half-mile chase pushed the bothersome bird out of downtown, where they hope it’ll stay. “They put a lot of fear into it - and really what we’ll call good negative reinforcement,” McNerney said.