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The Paradise-Klein Turkey: One Year Later

Posted at 1:13 PM, Nov 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-20 13:13:32-05

It's been one year since the Paradise-Klien Turkey won the hearts of the Amherst community with his bold, unafraid swagger that stops traffic and pedestrians alike.

Last year around Thanksgiving, the turkey became somewhat of a local celebrity and could regularly be spotted stopping traffic at the intersection of Paradise and Klein roads in Amherst. The community called in the SPCA Wildlife division to come help the bird because he had a visible limp.

"Our hope is that we do have the capabilities to take an x-ray, see what's going on with that leg, and fingers crossed, everything will be okay and we'll be able to find him a new home," Jessica Hill, Wildlife Hospital Assistant at the SPCA Wildlife Department, told 7 Eyewitness News last year.

The turkey was able to thwart rescuers' attempts to capture him several days in a row.

"He's just taking off, running, and then he just flies... he's gone," said Hill.

The turkey never got that special checkup, but he's survived another year despite those injuries.

"He likes to go in the road and likes to bother people," said Paul Ferguson, a tenth grade student at Williamsville East High School. "Everybody tries to catch him but they can't do it."