Ben Franklin favored the turkey, rather than the bald eagle, as our nation’s symbol.  Some residents of the small town of Easton, MA have gone one step further by holding a memorial  service for a wild turkey named “Freddy” after he was shot and killed last week by local police.  Many mourners left flowers and notes for the deceased bird. One grief-stricken individual even set up a Facebook site for “Freddy,” which currently has over 1,500 fans.

The turkey in question had become a local favorite, roaming around town, visiting local businesses and probably taking handouts from people.  But, in a classic case of wildlife habituation, Freddy” took a turn for the worse when he became aggressive, attacking an unsuspecting  motorcyclist at a red light.  Police felt that the bird’s aggressive behavior toward humans made relocation infeasible, and thus Freddy was given a death sentence. 

I find this story of human-animal relationships particularly fascinating and somewhat tragic. I hate to say this for fear of drawing Easton’s wrath, but the local residents–the same folks mourning “Freddy’s” death– probably caused the animal’s demise through their misguided compassion.  Turkeys can be aggressive and the more habituated and closer they become to humans, the less fear they have of attacking them.  Thus, by feeding and habituating the bird, they likely produced the bad behavior, ultimately leading to the animal’s death. 

I also find it fascinating that some people were so grief-stricken by the loss of this individual bird that they would hold a memorial service, as well as buy flowers and write notes to the deceased.  First of all, I sincerely doubt that “Freddy” would have appreciated the kind thoughts or flowers.  And since he could not read, the notes also seem a bit much.  Of course, we all know that the service was not so much for “Freddy” as it was for those humans he left behind. 

I don’t want to discount the bond that the people of Easton, MA  felt with “Freddy,” but as a conservationist, I have to wonder how we can redirect the tremendous energy and emotion focused on this individual animal toward the conservation of endangered species and their habitats?  I find it almost perverse that people are spending this much of their precious time and resources mourning one individual of a common species ( more than 3 million wild turkeys are estimated to roam the U.S.) when animals like black-footed ferrets, California condors, gopher tortoises, northern spotted owls, and many others are teetering on the brink of irreversible and final extinction.  Who will mourn them when they are gone?

Michael Hutchins Animal behavior, Human-wildlife conflict, Wildlife management, wildlife conservation