VivaSync

A large, aggressive male wild turkey has been terrorizing cyclists, runners and walkers on D.C.'s Anacostia Riverwalk Trail for at least the past five months, knocking riders from their bikes, reportedly sending one person to urgent care, and eluding animal control officers, crossing state lines and flapping across the Anacostia River in a multi-jurisdictional pursuit.

It's a story of resurgent wildlife — a species once wiped out making a comeback in the metropolis — but also the story of one particularly angry bird.

DeDe Folarin recently came upon the large turkey on his regular ride through Anacostia Park and Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens.

"This big, gigantic wild turkey jumps up out of the brush and almost claws me in the face and knocked me off of my bike," recalls Folarin, a D.C. native and vocalist for the go-go band Rare Essence. A self-described avid cyclist, Folarin says he's seen many wild turkeys during rides in the city. "They're never aggressive when you see them. When you get near them, they actually try to get out of your way."

This encounter was different. After knocking Folarin off his bike, the bird didn't let up. "It literally chased me around for like 5 minutes," he says. "I was running around trying to get away from it and get back to my bike. It was just crazy."

He was saved only when another biker approached from the opposite direction, distracting the turkey. At that point, Folarin pulled out his phone, filming what would become a viral video.

A post shared by De De Folarin (@dede_folarin)

"I was getting all kinds of comments like, 'why didn't you just get on your bike and ride off?' I don't think a lot of people realize that wild turkey attacks are not normal and it's not anything that you could prepare for," Folarin says.

Folarin says both he and the other cyclist came away unharmed in the end. It was a little scary at the time, he says, but also hilarious. "It was just comical, when I look back at the video now."

Folarin's experience wasn't unique — more than half a dozen people on a Facebook group have recounted being attacked or chased by the bird, dubbed by one user "Aggro Andy the Anacostia Turkey."

In February, one person reported to Popville an attack that required medical attention. "I ended up at urgent care with puncture wounds on my legs and I had to get a tetanus shot and antibiotics," the person wrote.

Another person recounted attempting to run away from the turkey.

"It was closing in on me like a velociraptor road runner, I saw that I definitely could not out-run a turkey and probably shouldn't try to. So I stopped and yelled 'I'm a vegetarian!'" the person wrote on Popville a few days before Thanksgiving.

Science writer Bethany Brookshire was attacked too, and recently wrote about the aggressive turkey in the Washington Post.

At Large And In Charge, For Now

The National Park Service is aware of the rogue avian, and has posted signs warning people to keep their distance. Sean McGinty, a spokesperson for NPS, says officials have been trying to catch the turkey for weeks.

"He's actually proven quite elusive for our animal control team," he says. "We've been sending them out, up and down the Anacostia River Trail, since probably about March 20 and we haven't been able to to nab him yet."

The plan, if and when the turkey is caught, is to send him to a farm with "dedicated turkey habitat," and other turkeys already in residence, McGinty says. "It actually sounds almost heavenly, like exactly where a turkey would want to end up."

In the meantime, if you see the turkey on the trail, McGinty recommends trying to appear bigger and louder. "Do everything you can to scare him off," he says.

Unlike with the recent fox family wreaking havoc among lawmakers and journalists on Capitol Hill, there's no concern of disease transmission from the aggressive turkey, says Daniel Rauch, a wildlife biologist with the District Department of Energy and Environment. Birds can't get or transmit rabies, but any scratches or wounds from the turkey should be treated with first aid and monitored for infection, Rauch says.

Rauch is part of the team that's been trying to track down the turkey, without success. He says one reason it's hard to catch is that wild turkeys can fly a surprisingly long distance if they have to. "They're not the world's best flyers, but if they need to go 50 or 100 yards they can do that, especially if something is chasing them or they think they're in danger."

The bird has been evading capture by flying back and forth across the Anacostia River, between Kenilworth Park and the National Arboretum. It's also been seen as far upstream as Bladensburg, Md.

Don't Feed The Birds

As with many species, wild turkey populations plummeted in the 19th century and early 20th century, due largely to habitat loss and hunting. Since the 1960s, though, the animals have been making a comeback, thanks in part to reintroduction programs. Rauch says there are now 100-200 wild turkeys in the District, in parks from Rock Creek to Fort Dupont.

"They are around. We just don't see them because they avoid us," Rauch says.

As for why this one turkey has taken to terrorizing its human neighbors, Rauch says it could be related to breeding season, though it's odd that the behavior would continue for months and months.

"It's highly unusual for there to be such an aggressive turkey over such a long period," Rauch says.

Another factor, Rauch says, is that the bird appears to have lost its fear of people, possibly because it was fed by people. "That's a way that a lot of wild animals will have negative interactions with people — because they've been fed," Rauch says.

The effort to catch and relocate the turkey is being carried out by NPS and DOEE staff, along with the Humane Rescue Alliance and City Wildlife. Officials urge residents who encounter the aggressive bird to report it, to aid in the search. HRA's animal control officers can be reached at 202-723-5730.

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