If there’s one thing most people are afraid to mess with, it’s a territorial turkey. A turkey terrorizing a North Carolina elementary school was caught on camera being chased away by the school’s principal.
Parents at Alston Ridge Elementary School in Cary, North Carolina, said that the wild turkey has been situating himself in the carpool line for the past several days. Dubbed Mr. Tom by locals, the animal simply refuses to move and pecks at ant cars or people who try to approach him.
Principal Niko Schutte decided to take matters into his own hands and chased the turkey away from the parking lot with an umbrella. While an animal services officer had initially been successful in chasing Mr. Tom away from the school, the bird eventually lost his fear of her and refused to move. That’s when Schutte stepped in with the umbrella, a method that “did the trick…for now.”
Animal services explained that Mr. Tom is in a hormonal state that makes him extra unreasonable, which is why he’s been hanging around and terrorizing the school. “It’s breeding season and the male birds get a little rowdy and territorial,” officials said. “Male turkeys compete for dominance with other turkeys and may also try to prove their toughness to people.”
Source: https://abc11.com/wild-turkey-mr-tom-seeking-mate-alston-ridge-elementary/14607794/