Can a Wild Turkey Find Success and Happiness in the Canyons of Manhattan?

NT Times ^ | May 23, 2003 | THOMAS J. LUECK

[RipSawyer]

"Similarly, foxes are quite happy to live in urban areas - England in particular is awash in urban foxes."

I was once fairly adept at hunting urban as well as suburban foxes but my wife has insisted I give up that hobby.

[Fred Hayek]

I used to live in Mahwah NJ. I saw what looked like a coyote there back in 1986. A state park ranger saw the picture and verified it. At that time, there had been coyote sightings in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, and established populations in Sullivan and Orange Counties in NY.

[Pharmboy]

I am in northern Morris County (Rockaway) and we have coyotes, bears (a treed black bear made the national news in my township last week), deer by the score and in October last, I had a magnificent juvenile bald eagle in a tree in my backyard. We moved from Manhattan last year and my kids call it The Wild Kingdom.

[Kay Ludlow]

Someone let her go...no way did this hen find her way to NYC

I'm inclined to agree. Not because I don't think it's possible, there's a lot more wildlife thriving in human habitat than The Nature Company would like to admit; but this bird seems to be spending a lot of time sitting and walking around close to people - on balconies and the like. Turkey in the wild scatter pretty quickly at the sight of people. I would think a wild turkey would be pretty skittish just from all the sights and sounds in a city, let alone all the people. My guess it that it was caught as a chick, raised by people, then escaped or was let go, explaining why it's comfortable knowing people are looking at it.

[Jimmy Valentine]

"I find the coyote a lot more inexplicable"

Not me The Coyote is a very ubiquitous animal with very few natural enemies and an omnivorous diet. We have them in every county in Maryland now and housepets are disappearing like Swedish Meatballs at a wedding reception (Unfortunate analogy alert!)

Coyotes have also been seen in the North Bronx in New York. They are nocturnal, sly and very mobile.

Regards,

[StriperSniper]

no way did this hen find her way to NYC

I wouldn't be suprised. Right across the Hudson River, in Hudson County, we have a population of pheasant, herons, and egrets. I never know what's going to turn up next.

[MalcolmS]

As God is my witness . . . Turkey's can fly!

I was railroaded!

Arthur C. Carlson
Station Manager, WKRP

(Tell my mother, I was right)

[Clemenza]

Well, last year they found a deer on Staten Island. It was suggested that it had swam across Arthur Kill from New Jersey, but if that were the case, its skin would have burned off en route.

[Clemenza]

About two years ago, a coyote was caught in Woodlwan Cemetary in the Bronx.

[joshalix]

we found govinda in riverside park in new york city today and we called the ACC (animal control center?) and they didn't care! they forwarded me and my friend to another number and they didn't care either!! who's there to look out for the wild turkeys roaming the city? what a smart turkey though!