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LOL... Ohio Officials Chase Problem Turkeys
ELKHART, Ind. - Police officers and animal control workers trying to corral wild turkeys were not looking for early Thanksgiving dinner.
The men, instead, were using big nets to chase the birds after complaints that they had harassed students at a nearby elementary school. But the quick fowl eluded them.
The wild turkeys a week ago also obstructed traffic on country roads surrounding Jimtown North Elementary School, forcing cars that were traveling 50 mph to drive around them, said Janice Keltner, a teacher at the school west of Elkhart.
"At first we kind of enjoyed them because we could let the kids look at them from inside," she said.
But teachers no longer want the birds hanging around because they wander the playground and can become hostile toward children, said Keltner, who called the police to report the problem.
Elkhart County officers and others tried to catch the birds Monday along with Humane Society worker Jeff Wogoman.
"We almost had one, but he got away and took off down the road," Wogoman said.
Residents of the area about 10 miles east of South Bend had called in reports of the birds causing problems in the past, said Sgt. Jeff Stutsman, so he tried to help corner them.
But their big nets were no match for the birds. The chase ended about 25 minutes after it began, and the men came up empty-handed.
Wogoman said authorities had not decided what to do about the birds and suspected that they hang around because people feed them.
Resident Bill Polston confirmed that suspicion. He said a neighbor fed the turkeys all the time and that he liked them wandering around his neighborhood.
"We're fascinated by them," Polston said. "We appreciate them, and they appreciate the food they get."
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Information from: The Truth, http://www.etruth.com
The men, instead, were using big nets to chase the birds after complaints that they had harassed students at a nearby elementary school. But the quick fowl eluded them.
The wild turkeys a week ago also obstructed traffic on country roads surrounding Jimtown North Elementary School, forcing cars that were traveling 50 mph to drive around them, said Janice Keltner, a teacher at the school west of Elkhart.
"At first we kind of enjoyed them because we could let the kids look at them from inside," she said.
But teachers no longer want the birds hanging around because they wander the playground and can become hostile toward children, said Keltner, who called the police to report the problem.
Elkhart County officers and others tried to catch the birds Monday along with Humane Society worker Jeff Wogoman.
"We almost had one, but he got away and took off down the road," Wogoman said.
Residents of the area about 10 miles east of South Bend had called in reports of the birds causing problems in the past, said Sgt. Jeff Stutsman, so he tried to help corner them.
But their big nets were no match for the birds. The chase ended about 25 minutes after it began, and the men came up empty-handed.
Wogoman said authorities had not decided what to do about the birds and suspected that they hang around because people feed them.
Resident Bill Polston confirmed that suspicion. He said a neighbor fed the turkeys all the time and that he liked them wandering around his neighborhood.
"We're fascinated by them," Polston said. "We appreciate them, and they appreciate the food they get."
___
Information from: The Truth, http://www.etruth.com
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