+- Scivillage.com Casual Discussion Science Forum (https://www.scivillage.com)
+-- Forum: Culture (https://www.scivillage.com/forum-49.html)
+--- Forum: General Discussion (https://www.scivillage.com/forum-48.html)
+--- Thread: Turkeys are trashing NASA research center, so they're getting the boot (/thread-11724.html)
Turkeys are trashing NASA research center, so they're getting the boot - C C - Feb 9, 2022
https://phys.org/news/2022-02-turkeys-trashing-nasa-center-silicon.html
INTRO: NASA researchers in Silicon Valley are done talking turkey. They're taking action. A flock of turkeys that has taken up residence at the Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California, has become so destructive that wildlife officials have hatched a plan to move them elsewhere.
Though the birds have lived there for several years, a group of them has been wreaking havoc, officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture said. Cars, gardens, even people have fallen victim to the birds' aggression. The flock of about 18 unruly birds has disrupted flights at nearby Moffett Federal Airfield, blocked traffic and made a mess with their droppings, the San Jose Mercury News reported.
The birds are running amok not far from some of the world's top minds, who are researching aeronautics, exploration technology and science at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration facility. Although the federal space agency said in a statement that the growing population of turkeys poses "minimal impact to the NASA community," officials confirmed that the birds were being moved to an ecological reserve "to roam freely."
"This measure protects the safety and well-being of the turkeys, as well as the Ames community and workforce," NASA said in the statement.
It appears people have been feeding the birds, despite a "no feeding the wildlife" policy at the site, according to Tanya Espinosa, a Department of Agriculture spokesperson. About 30 turkeys are regularly seen in the area. For all animals, feeding creates a link between humans and food, and they "often become more aggressive towards humans in their search for a meal," Espinosa said in an email.
Now there's a plan to trap the nuisance fowl and drive them to the roughly 3,000-acre San Antonio Valley Ecological Reserve, where they will presumably live out their days, according to officials with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which is providing the release site... (MORE - details)