STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — As the options of managing Staten Island’s large turkey population seem to dwindle, and government officials have advised residents to “accept” the fowl, a video has surfaced highlighting the tension between some individuals and the birds who call the borough their home.
In the 26-second video submitted by a tipster to the Advance/SILive.com, a man can be seen wielding a baseball bat. The tipster said the video was recorded on the South Shore in Prince’s Bay.
The unidentified man, who is wearing a hooded sweatshirt and jeans, can be seen walking along the driver side of a parked vehicle when a turkey pops out in front of the vehicle. The man pursues the bird who moves to the back end of the vehicle, in front of another parked car.
The man cuts back to the front of the vehicle, shifting to the driver’s side once more before breaking out into a jog after the turkey. The turkey emerges from between the two vehicles, into view on a patch of grass beside a sidewalk. A car can be seen driving by.
It’s then that the man swings the bat above his head and flings it at the turkey. The bat appears to make direct contact with the turkey, although a telephone pole partially obstructs the view. After the contact, the turkey is no longer in the video’s frame.
The bat ricochets onto the sidewalk as the man looks toward the area where the turkey was struck and out onto the street before recovering the item. The man, with bat in hand, then crosses the street before looking over his shoulder.
While it remains unclear what events preceded the encounter contained within the video, the actions draw attention to the hostility between some residents and the turkeys of Staten Island.
A NEIGHBORHOOD NUISANCE
Since the late 1990s, the borough has seen a surge in the turkey population. Initially confined to the areas around Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze, the birds have since expanded beyond the boundaries of East Shore neighborhoods.
In the…
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