By Tim Binnall
Residents of a neighborhood in a Massachusetts town say that a gang of aggressive turkeys have overrun the area to the point that some people are afraid to leave their homes out of fear of being attacked by the ornery animals. According to a local media report, the strange showdown is currently unfolding in the community of Woburn, where four of the ferocious fowl have seemingly laid claim to a specific set of streets. Resident Meaghan Tolson, who lives in the proverbial war zone, has even gone so far as to name the birds in what may be an early sign of Stockholm syndrome. "The most aggressive one is Kevin," she said, "then there are three ladies because their coloring isn't so distinct. It's Esther, Gladys and Patricia."
The quartet of quarrelsome birds have been facing off with people living in the neighborhood for the last several weeks with Tolson saying that she has captured nearly a dozen encounters with the territorial turkeys on video. "Even if you are parked, Kevin will try to get in your car," she explained, "you have to open your passenger side door and lure them over there, then make a clean break to the house." Neighbor April Drolette echoed that experience, lamenting that "there have been times I'm trapped in my car, can't get out, and have to call family members. They usually bring an umbrella. It takes a team."
In a testament to the terror that the turkeys have unleashed upon the neighborhood, Drolette revealed that another resident of the street "will refuse to leave her house if they are going toward her car." As for how people impacted by the birds might find a way to bring peace back to their streets, an official with Mass Wildlife surprisingly advised individuals to meet the animals' aggression with their own show of force. "If you turn and run away, now you are subdominant. He just won that battle," David Scarpitti said, suggesting instead that utilizing an open umbrella as a shield will fend off the fowl and, eventually, this will drive them to find a new location to call home.