'Very Aggressive' Turkey Runs Amok, Shows Up in Selfies

Students at the University of Michigan seem to be going out of their way to get selfies with an aggressive turkey. (Photo by @blankfacevilain via Twitter, used with permission)

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An aggressive wild turkey is running amok on the University of Michigan campus, scaring students and staff, stopping traffic and trying to board buses, and making a general nuisance of itself, university police said.

Police at the Ann Arbor campus say there has been an uptick in complaints about the bird since June.

“He hasn’t hurt anybody, but he’s a very aggressive bird,” University of Michigan Police Department Deputy Chief Melissa Overton told The Ann Arbor News. “He’s also created a traffic hazard because apparently he likes to lay down in the middle of the road and not move. It can be very difficult for the buses to get around him.”

The repeated sightings have led to a scavenger hunt of sorts as students look for selfie opportunities, but Overton said that’s a dangerous game.

“Do not try to approach the turkey,” she warned. “We’ve gotten calls from people who have been trapped and unable to move because he’s cornered them.”

The turkey is roaming the university’s North Campus. A second turkey was struck and killed by a car in early July, according to the newspaper, but turkey sightings on the campus go back to at least early spring.

The Michigan Daily reported in April that two students spotted a turkey outside Bursley Residence Hall, coaxed it inside and then left the bird to fend for itself. The turkey walked up a couple flights of stairs and was trying to peck its way out of a window when sophomore engineering student Alex Holland found it.

That turkey was captured and released in a wooded area. University officials are working with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to relocate this bird as well.

“When we first heard about it, we contacted the DNR and their original response was they would not remove the turkey and relocate it unless it was causing damage to the buildings,” Overton told the newspaper. “We had further contact with them over the weekend and they seem to have changed their mind.”

Below is a sampling of social media mentions of the University of Michigan turkey.