Local law enforcement responded to at least three calls in the past week regarding traffic hangups as a result of wildlife on the roads — but in a new twist, these delays were caused by a turkey. The bird had been hanging around the median of Highway 82 between the Maroon Creek Bridge and the airport for over a week.
Officers from the Aspen Police Department, Pitkin County Sheriff’s office and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) all responded to calls about the turkey. They tried to haze it to encourage it to roost elsewhere. KurtisTesch with CPW said it’s likely that someone was feeding the problem bird.
“Even though it’s not illegal to feed a turkey, it’s highly irresponsible and unethical to feed any wildlife because it messes up their digestive system, their habits, everything,” Tesch said.
The turkey was found dead on the side of the highway late Monday morning.
