There’s something a-fowl in the state of New Jersey.
According to News 12, several areas in the Garden State are having issues with bold, menacing and mannerless gangs of wild turkeys.
At an over-55 community in the Holiday City area of Ocean County the birds are reportedly breaking windows, blocking roads, “pecking at cars and behaving aggressively,” with one resident telling News 12 that, “Sometimes I can’t get out of my car. They go to attack you.”
After attempts to shoo the feathered groups away failed, turkey-terrorized New Jerseyites are now looking to law enforcement for help. Unfortunately, the local animal control officers of Toms River — where wild turkey problems seems to be the biggest — say they are unable to take action against the birds because they are not licensed to trap wildlife. The state’s Fish and Wildlife officials have been notified of the situation and are reportedly working on a solution, per CBS3.
While residents are doing their best to avoid interactions with the birds, which can grow to be 25 lbs. and can reach running speeds of 20 mph, they are also sharing their pest problems with the world on Twitter. Among those sharing stories about the Thanksgiving bullies is MLB all-star Todd Frazier.
So how’s your morning going? @News12NJ @AsburyParkPress pic.twitter.com/XCnoxdfYHD
— Todd Frazier (@FlavaFraz21) November 10, 2019
Animal control needs to step up and move these animals ASAP. State wildlife control needs to figure it out. What’s it going to take? @PhilMurphyNJ
— Todd Frazier (@FlavaFraz21) November 9, 2019
The athlete shared a photo of the birds surrounding his car and added in an additional tweet that the turkeys “have come close to harming my family and friends, ruined my cars, trashed my yard and much more.”
Others in the Toms River area don’t see the bounty of birds as a bad thing.
“We need speed bumps and instead of speed bumps, we got turkeys,” resident Richard Flecker told CBS3 about how the animals are helping to control traffic.
