GLENDALE, Wis. — Turkeys continue to be a nuisance for some in Milwaukee area suburbs.

Nearly every day, Kayla Hebert sees turkeys roaming in the Crestwood subdivision in Glendale.

“I call them the ‘Turkey Mafia’. They run down the poor mail lady all the time or anyone who is walking,” Hebert said.

Hebert explained they have also been known to climb the trees and peck at cars. She has even taken video of them.

“We moved in about almost 10 years now and I thought they were really cute when they were baby turkeys but there was four or five of them, but now there is 12 or so,” said Hebert.

The Glendale Police Department said they have received a couple of calls about aggressive turkeys and will continue to monitor the situation to see if action needs to be taken.

In the meantime, Martin Triplett has taken protecting his lawn into his own hands. He explained he is covering his lawn to prevent the turkeys from tearing it up.

“I have a big stick that I take in with me and they stand there with the wings out like this. I say, ‘shoo.’ He stands his head up and starts walking towards me and I tell my little dog, ‘come on, let’s go in the house.’ They are terrible,” said Hebert.

Hebert pointed out the turkeys aren’t afraid of anyone.

“I don’t know if you could re-home them,” Hebert said. “I think some people in the neighborhood feed them, which is part of the issue. They get reliant on the food being there. I don’t know what to do about them. They are just mean.”

The aggressiveness of the turkeys in her neighborhood is just a part of life that Hebert has learned to accept and hopes it doesn’t get worse.

The United States Postal Service said the aggressive turkeys have not slowed down mail service in the Crestwood subdivision, however, they instruct their mail carriers to avoid areas where they are in danger of being attacked by animals.

The USPS issued the following statement:

“The overall goal of the United States Postal Service is to provide the best delivery service possible. We are also mindful of the welfare and safety of our delivery personnel. Therefore, we instruct our carriers not to enter an area where there is the danger of being attacked by an animal. Animal attacks are traumatic experiences and are constant hazards to the well-being of our carriers.
Delivery service can be temporarily withdrawn when animals interfere with our ability to complete mail delivery. In the case of wild animals, we attempt delivery the next business day.”