I think it’s safe to say we have all had an encounter with a wild animal. It may have been a scary experience you dread to remember, or perhaps just something you consider another part of your day and move on. Well the Community High School in Mendocino, CA, has had an interesting problem: a turkey had taken a liking to the premises and visited frequently. To some, this was a new little friend, to others a nuisance.

It is not uncommon for a wild animal to enjoy manmade comforts; it happens all over the world with all sorts of different animals. Sometimes this is perfectly fine; other times it can be really bothersome. They might eat your food, leave behind a little present, or even damage property. Where does the Comm School Turkey fall on this? From what I have gathered, there has been no damage, but plenty of little gifts. Although due to distance learning there isn’t a school full of teenagers who would have to dodge these, there are still teachers who have to show up to teach classes through Zoom. How do they feel about trudging through a minefield to get to work everyday? Here is Derek Hutchinson with his views on the Comm School Turkey:

“At first I really liked the Turkey- it was a novelty and it brought out my inner Ben Franklin (he appreciated turkeys and wanted the turkey to be our national bird). I also thought it was so cute that the turkey hung out with its chicken friends, and I could watch the little poultry flock wander outside my classroom window, although sometimes I did have fantasies of using their feather[s] for fly tying and having turkey-chicken sandwich, but I digress…Then it all changed…the Turkey was struck by the curse of Narcissus, and it couldn’t leave its reflection in the entrance door window.  

There it stared day after day, hour after hour, and it was bold! It just stood there when people walked by, and it took feats of courage to move the turkey from the entrance. While annoying, this was even tolerable until one Monday morning when I arrived at school. There was the Turkey standing guard over the most amazing deep and disgusting pile of turkey poop I had ever seen. The entire entrance was covered with the black and green oozing blobs, and it was impossible to get to the door without stepping in the mess. 

I yelled obscenities at the turkey, but it didn’t move. I waved a broom at it. It didn’t move. Finally… it moved to the grass…and then to the back porch where James had to watch it poop and make a mess for days afterwards. So the Turkey- do I like the Turkey? No, but, fingers crossed, I haven’t seen the Turkey in a while, but I heard a rumor that the Market did have a special on turkey sandwiches recently, so who knows?”

Thanks Derek! I think we can all understand how he feels. It can be really frustrating to have a wild animal so comfortable around you and your workplace, especially when it makes it much harder to move without stepping in turkey crap, although not everyone feels this way towards the turkey. Some are glad to have another little addition to the Comm School and like the little friend. So here is Emily Inwood explaining why she likes this bold turkey:

The turkey is no longer here, and that’s probably for the best.  At first, I felt amused and curious, but that soon turned to worried, as my colleagues got progressively more disgusted and threatening in their words and tone when referring to the turkey, calling her “dumb” and thinking of ways to dispatch her.

I don’t think she’s aggressive, but she did make a real mess of the sidewalks, and that was not pleasant.  

Are you uncomfortable with the turkey being so bold?

Au contraire!  I got a huge kick out of her antics.  

I first saw the Comm School turkey over winter break, when it was rainy and cold.  Actually, I first-first saw it in a text on our Derek-Kamala-James-Emily group chat.  It was from Derek and it said: “Turkey for Christmas dinner?  This guy is making a real mess on the front stoop 🙂 Merry Christmas!” The text came with this picture:

I thought that was funny. Then when I went to school the next day, I saw that Turkey had been making the literal rounds of the school. 

I sent that photo along with “The turkey’s still hanging out here, lol!” to the group chat. At that point, I started to wonder if this was a hen and if she was guarding a nest or something.  So I explored all around the perimeter of the school, finding no nest, but finding lots and lots of turkey poop, especially by all the reflective windows and doors.  It was really gross, but I felt so badly for the turkey.

As I mentioned before, my colleagues were making lots of threats and building animosity towards Turkey, so I called around to a few wildlife/bird preservationists and finally spoke with Ronnie James, a local large bird rescuer.  I told her about the turkey’s habits, and she said that the turkey was most likely searching for a mate.  My heart broke a bit then, for it seemed like perhaps Turkey was looking for herself as a mate in the various reflections in our school’s windows.  Ronnie said that there was nothing anyone would be able to do about the bird, that no capture-and-relocate services existed for turkeys, but that Turkey would likely move on after she didn’t find what she was looking for.

I last saw Turkey gazing at herself in the windows by Eastman’s room, standing by the piles of bagged recyclables–some time in January.  I’m glad that she’s moved on, for I’m afraid she may’ve been the victim of Derek or James’ wrath had she not!

Thank you, Emily! So there you have it! Everyone will feel differently about having a wild animal on their front porch, and there isn’t anything wrong with feeling upset when it has been making life harder for you. Personally I can totally relate to Derek’s frustration along with Emily’s anxiety for its health. I’m glad the Bold Turkey of the Comm School has moved on. Hopefully it’s not messing with other people down the street. 

It’s important to remember that when dealing with wild animals, try to respect their space if you can. This turkey was comfortable there, but other animals might not be. In this case there wasn’t a way to remove the turkey, so they had to try and work around each other. I think the Comm School staff took this little invasion quite well and hopefully they won’t have to deal with something like this for some time yet.