‘Our little uniter’: New Jersey town bereft by capture of Turkules the wild turkey

Local celebrity spent weeks outwitting animal control officers and was praised by residents of West Orange for bringing ‘town together’

Residents of West Orange, New Jersey, have been left heartbroken after a wild turkey named “Turkules”, whose resilient nature and ability to evade capture “brought the town together”, was finally snared by state officials.

Turkules, who was named by a local man, first took up residence in West Orange, 25 miles west of New York City, over the summer. The bird’s fearless attitude towards traffic and disregard for authority soon made him a local celebrity, and his fame only grew as Turkules spent weeks outwitting animal control officers.