Turkey Trot Continues In Johnston

JOHNSTON, RI—No more talk about bird brains in Johnston, please. The wild turkeys gave local animal control officers a battle of wits, as law enforcement tried to corral the turkeys. One of the birds is still at large.

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

Here's the latest, according to the state Department of Environmental Management.

"Johnston applied for and now has a DEM 'collector’s permit,' allowing it to capture and relocate nuisance turkeys elsewhere in town," said Michael Healy, DEM's chief public affairs officer. "Our understanding is that Johnston’s Animal Control Officer (ACO) captured and removed two of the birds earlier this morning. The third turkey got away."

But there was a glitch.

"As the town requested, DEM had a Wildlife Control Officer at Town Hall at 8 this morning to meet and assist the Johnston ACO. Likely because of a miscommunication, however, our officer wasn’t contacted and Johnston handled the relocation on its own," Healey said.

He did not say where the birds were relocated. WJAR-TV reported the turkeys were headed for Snake Den State Park.

Image Courtesy U.S. Fish & Wildlife