A turkey ruffled some feathers in downtown Calgary over the weekend.
The bird, believed to be “Turk” the Ramsay turkey, was spotted on Saturday in the Beltline, across the Elbow River from his usual neighbourhood.
Const. Chris Martin with the Calgary Police Service said on Facebook that the trekking turkey — who they were concerned was going to wander into traffic — was spotted by officers at 10 Avenue and 2 Street S.W. Saturday afternoon.
“The officers who were there all know Turk and that he usually lives in Ramsay and Inglewood. They were worried he was going to get hurt,” said Martin.
“To complicate matters, multiple calls were made to us about Turk by concerned citizens, and various members of the public flagged officers down to report him.”
Martin said officers tried to catch the turkey with the goal of taking him back to Ramsay but Turk didn’t appear interested in that plan. Martin said that after consulting with Animal Services, the decision was made to leave the turkey alone.
Chase Skakun was in his condo across 10 Avenue watching the whole ordeal unfold and captured video of the attempted takedown.
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“It was the funniest thing I have ever seen,” said Skakun, who was in his apartment with his girlfriend Carolyn McAdam. She had heard of the Ramsay turkey before and said she was pretty sure it was Turk in the centre of the police activity.
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Skakun said it was great to have something occupy his mind that wasn’t COVID-19-related.
“I was happy to have 40 minutes where I was not thinking about anything else except whether the turkey was going to get away from the cops,” Skakun said with a laugh.
As of Sunday morning, Martin posted that Turk had wandered over to Manuel Latruwe Bakery on 1 Street S.E. and was “doing his best to support local businesses.”
He advised concerned Calgarians that there is no need to call police about the wayward bird as there “is nothing we can do.”
Turk’s Facebook page was busy on the weekend in response to the news. The Loyal Followers of the Ramsay Turkey was filled with comments and photos wishing Turk well, hoping he avoids coyotes and cars.
Turk the Ramsay Turkey was spotted at the Esso on Macleod Tr and 12 Ave SE. He appears to be in good health, if you’re driving in the area today, please keep an eye out for him. #yyc #TurkTheTurkey #RamsayTurkey #yyctraffic pic.twitter.com/t4ySuR0OJX
— Sergeant Chris Martin (@CPSSgtMartin) March 29, 2020
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