Just imagine: You're out for an afternoon run or ride to stay fit, and you come head-to-head with an animal who is angry with you for even existing.
That could potentially ruin anyone's day.
And it's been a recurring issue for the citizens in the Northeast Washington, D.C., area, allegedly for a year or more.
On April 25, FOX 5 DC shared an article, detailing the troubles users of the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail in Northeast D.C. were experiencing because of one male wild turkey who had become territorial and aggressive.
In the initial report, a video was featured of an individual who had to get off of their bicycle to block their body from the turkey.
As it turned out, after the article went live, additional reports from The Washington Post and the PoPville local blog appeared, detailing the same aggression from the turkey.
A citizen also came forward with more video evidence, with a similar experience to the initial report, with another cyclist having to block themselves from the turkey with their bicycle.
You can watch the video here:
In the video, the videographer stays at a distance while the bicyclist rotates their bike to keep the approaching turkey from attacking them.
The turkey appears persistent and intelligent as it repeatedly tries to navigate around the bicycle from different directions, forcing the rider to repeatedly maneuver their bike and giving them little opportunity to mount it and hurry away.
The video which has since gone viral got an immediate rise out of the internet, especially among those local to the D.C. area.
It was also pointed out that this likely had been going on for a while, possibly even over a year.
Signs have been posted along the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, but some civilians have wondered if that was enough. They've suggested bigger signs, more media coverage, or more effort from area animal control facilities to stop the aggressive turkey. .
Searches have been performed, but with hundreds of docile wild turkeys in the area, it has proven difficult to find the one problematic, and seemingly allusive, turkey. It seems that only when he wants to cause trouble does he appear.
