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Just imagine: You're out for an afternoon run or ride to stay fit, and you come head-to-head with an animal who is angry with you for even existing.
That could potentially ruin anyone's day.
And it's been a recurring issue for the citizens in the Northeast Washington, D.C., area, allegedly for a year or more.
On April 25, FOX 5 DC shared an article, detailing the troubles users of the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail in Northeast D.C. were experiencing because of one male wild turkey who had become territorial and aggressive.
In the initial report, a video was featured of an individual who had to get off of their bicycle to block their body from the turkey.
As it turned out, after the article went live, additional reports from The Washington Post and the PoPville local blog appeared, detailing the same aggression from the turkey.
A citizen also came forward with more video evidence, with a similar experience to the initial report, with another cyclist having to block themselves from the turkey with their bicycle.
You can watch the video here:
Ok this is insane \u2026\n\nAfter our story aired last night about a wild turkey attacking people on the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail in DC, @DeDefolarin of the incredible @REWickedestBand sent me this video of a turkey attack he shot earlier this month. Never seen anything like this!!pic.twitter.com/L6HcyolK5u— Josh Rosenthal (@Josh Rosenthal) 1650981118
In the video, the videographer stays at a distance while the bicyclist rotates their bike to keep the approaching turkey from attacking them.
The turkey appears persistent and intelligent as it repeatedly tries to navigate around the bicycle from different directions, forcing the rider to repeatedly maneuver their bike and giving them little opportunity to mount it and hurry away.
The video which has since gone viral got an immediate rise out of the internet, especially among those local to the D.C. area.
I have a friend who was chased & bitten by a mean goose, so I always keep my distance from them. They're the scariest, because they travel in numbers.— MegLavDC (@MegLavDC) 1650990042
Has a nest there somewhere. I was attacked by a turkey that I had been teasing...my oh my did those bruises hurt!— Horselady1 (@Horselady1) 1650990430
Maybe the presidential pardon wasn\u2019t such a great idea— Todd Fouts (@Todd Fouts) 1651066185
You have to watch out for that Wild Turkey that is 101. @WildTurkey— David (@David) 1651587872
I like how the woman yelled at him. and how he needed to show his face first before he decided to aid her.— JQ LLC: The Impunity City (@JQ LLC: The Impunity City) 1651502077
It was also pointed out that this likely had been going on for a while, possibly even over a year.
This is the same Turkey that attacked me— Angela Benjamin (@Angela Benjamin) 1651102598
"So I was in a stand-off, not sure how this would end" The best thing you will read today: https://www.popville.com/2021/11/the-best-thing-you-will-read-today/\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/zggHHlvHvR— PoPville (@PoPville) 1637597796
Signs have been posted along the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, but some civilians have wondered if that was enough. They've suggested bigger signs, more media coverage, or more effort from area animal control facilities to stop the aggressive turkey. .
Searches have been performed, but with hundreds of docile wild turkeys in the area, it has proven difficult to find the one problematic, and seemingly allusive, turkey. It seems that only when he wants to cause trouble does he appear.