Rogue turkey appointed mayor of Wisconsin village it was terrorising

For months a village in the US state of Wisconsin, a wild turkey has terrorised residents and motorists with a string of mischievous antics.

The bird, which is reportedly called Smoke, has a habit of standing in front of traffic and chasing school children in the village of Ashwaubenon, near Green Bay.

To date though, the rogue fowl has avoided all attempts to capture him by the authorities, who were hoping to put him in a local wildlife sanctuary.

So, rather than continue to fight him, the residents of the town have sought to appoint Smoke as their mayor, or at least an honourary one.

A popular Facebook group called Smoked Turkey - Mayor of Ashwaubenon has seen locals flood the group with pictures and videos of the bird.

It's all done in an ironic but affectionate way, with people displaying genuine care for Smoke and his well being as well as making him a local celebrity.

A report from The Washington Poston Smoke shows how much joy and community spirit he has brought to the town, despite being a terror.

Andrew Nowakowski, a local resident told The Post:

Life is hard and people are just trying to get by and go to work and pay their bills. To have something like this that you encounter on a daily basis that just brightens your day, it’s nice.

It’s something you can find commonality around, regardless of your political affiliation or what you do for a living. Everyone gets a kick out of the turkey.

Whilst the group is just a bit of fun in tribute to Smoke, Ashwaubenon Public Safety have been prompted to put out a notice on Facebook telling people not to feed the bird or face a fine for doing so.

Speaking to The Post, Randy Tews, a local Public Safety Commander said that although Smoke has been hard to capture they will be sad to see him go.

Our animal control officers are pretty good, but he has some ninja-like moves. They have a hard time getting him.

I think some folks will be sad to see him go. He’s brought a lot of smiles to people’s faces here.

We’re a divided country, and here this turkey is directing traffic for folks on their way to work, and it gives them something to cheer about.

The Post article adds that the authorities are hoping that once the snow seasons start that Smoke will move on and return to his natural habitat.

HT Mashable

More: This stork flies thousands of miles every year to visit his injured mate