Elusive Turkey Disrupting Johnston Traffic Still Not Caught

JOHNSTON, RI — Run, run as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm a turkey, man.

Town officials as well as the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RISPCA) once again tried catching a wild turkey that's been disrupting traffic for weeks. They failed again.

Animal control officers armed with a net launcher chased the turkey down Atwood Avenue at about 8 a.m. They came close to catching it this time, but the net launcher jammed, and the turkey ran away toward a shopping plaza, NBC 10 reported.

RISPCA had one agent on scene helping Friday, but they don't plan on getting involved in the future.

"After the agent's assessment today, he believes that pursuing the animal will only put it in more danger," RISPCA officials told Patch. "We are not licensed to trap wild animals."

Carol Costa, a witness said the turkey caused a line of cars to form on Atwood Avenue because the turkey wouldn't get out of the road.

There were originally three turkeys back in August who were darting in and out of traffic near the Johnston town hall. Local animal control officers caught two of them, but the third got away. The turkeys were relocated to Snake Den State Park.

The turkeys became an issue when Mayor Joseph Poliseno complained they posed a traffic hazard. He said he didn't want to see the birds run over or cause an accident.

Photo courtesy of Carol Costs