A driver says he was kicked by a wild turkey after he tried to get the bird off of his driver's side door.

01:00 AM EST on Wednesday, March 22, 2006

By KIA HALL HAYES
Journal Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN -- After a Monday incident involving a 50-year-old man and a group of irate birds, the police are sending out a message: Don't touch the turkeys.

"The important thing is not to antagonize them, and just walk away," said Capt. David Leonard.

The incident Monday afternoon where a Porter Road man was kicked by a wild turkey is the town's only reported case of a turkey attack, but Leonard said aggressive behavior is not uncommon, and their numbers at the Wapping Road housing development are increasing.

"There appears to be an abundance of wild turkeys at this development," Leonard said of the area, which is a few blocks from where the attack occurred.

The man told the police that he was sitting in his car at around 3 p.m. on Russett Road near Bartlett Road when a group of large wild turkeys approached him.

When one of the turkeys climbed onto the driver's side door, the man opened the door to scare it away, and the turkey kicked his leg.

The man said that the turkeys are becoming a nuisance in the area, and he was concerned about children's safety.

The police are working with the state Department of Environmental Management and animal control to devise a plan to minimize contact with the turkeys, or to relocate or capture the animals.

Residents should contact the police or animal control should an incident occur.

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