5 Aggressive Turkeys Terrorize Massachusetts Town, Forcing Residents to Stay Home

Massachusetts residents in Woburn are victims of bullying as a gang of five turkeys led by Kevin; some people haven't even been able to live their homes because of the turkey gang.

It can be frustrating on some days, Woburn resident Meaghan Tolson told the Guardian. For instance, if an Amazon package is available, the buyer won't be able to receive it due to the turkeys.

Kevin, Monica, Ester, Patricia, Gladys

The turkey gang is comprised of a violent male and four aggressive females, according to Tolson. Tolson claims that he is the ringleader and has given him the moniker "Kevin" along with the females "Monica," "Patricia," "Ester," and "Gladys."

Tolson said that the women are less aggressive and more laid back.

She added that they get kind of pumped up and start chasing people as a result. They never start the fight, though. When Kevin isn't there, they'll just ignore people and carry on with their business.

Turkey Gang Encounters

Residents of Woburn have experienced several terrifying turkey encounters, which peck at anything from cars to children, according to CBS News.

April Drolette told CBS News, She won't leave her house if they are heading toward her neighbor's car because they always do. Drolette has occasionally been unable to exit her car and has had to call her family. Typically, they bring an umbrella. It took a team effort to chase the turkeys away, and Tolson concurred.

According to her, the turkeys block traffic, peck at cars, and prevent people from leaving the house. They pursue kids riding bikes as well. They also apply to people who are running, walking, or doing anything similar.

She added that many people will leave rakes or brooms by their front door so they can remove them if there are turkeys.

Tolson has even started waiting until after dark to leave her house because the bully turkeys are only active during the daytime and usually nest up in trees or lampposts at night.

Reintroduced Turkeys

According to The Guardian, turkeys were once common in Massachusetts but went extinct in 1851 as a result of habitat loss. After more than a century, biologists captured 37 turkeys in New York and released them in Massachusetts to reintroduce the birds to the area. The turkey population increased and is now more than 35,000.

According to experts from MassLive, there are some methods that people can use to deal with aggressive birds. People should refrain from feeding wild turkeys, for instance, and they should maintain the cleanliness of bird feeders.

Loud noises, like a water hose spraying, can frighten away turkeys, and shiny objects, like car doors, can provoke aggressive behavior in turkeys and should therefore be hidden or disguised.

According to MassWildlife, if people feed turkeys or if they discover food in bird feeders, they may become aggressive. They then begin to consider people as members of their "flock" and attempt to "domesticate" them.

Turkey's behavior begins to take hold when they become so accustomed to people that they are unable to distinguish between them, according to David Scarpitti of MassWildlife.People become subordinate and the turkeys become the winners if they turn and flee, All That Interesting reports.