City Says Its Hands Are Tied in Turkey Influx

For a number of Albany residents, the apparently growing numbers of wild turkeys strolling about town and roosting in trees have become more of a nuisance than a novelty.

In a guest column last month on Albany Patch, resident Renu Bhatt described the flock of up to 30 turkeys roosting in a tree in her family's backyard, depriving them and neighbors of sleep, fowling the yard and house, and making it impossible for the children to play outdoors.

Her husband, Pareen Shah, spoke at the Feb. 19 City Council meeting and appealed for help in having the birds relocated.

Albany city staff took up the cause and began contacting local and state wildlife officials and nonprofit organizations concerned with wildlife, including turkeys.

But at last week's City Council meeting, City Clerk Nicole Almaguer delivered the news that there's little the city – or other agencies – can do.

"Basically the answer we received from Fish and Wildlife (California Department of Fish and Wildlife) is that trap and relocation is not an option," she said. One concern is that relocating the birds could introduce any diseases carried by the birds to the new environment, and another concern is that the relocated birds could create negative impacts from habitat competition in the new environment, she said.

She told Patch Monday that finding solutions rests with the residents. "The decision is in their court, depending on the gravity of the situation they're facing."

As she told the council, one method that officials can use to remove the birds is through a "depredation permit," administered by Fish and Wildlife. Such as permit requires a showing of "demonstrable property damage," she said.

It would be up to the residents to apply for such a permit, she said. If it is granted, the birds would be trapped by inter-agency contract with USDA officials and taken away to be euthanized, she told Patch.

City staff also contacted nonprofit organizations, including Wildlife Rescue, the National Wild Turkey Federation and the Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek, which recommended various ways to chase the birds away. But, Almaguer added in oral report to the council, the residents had already tried such solutions in vain.

She told Patch that late last week she passed along to the residents a couple of other recommendations that she learned about after the council meeting, including a device that is supposed to produce a high-pitched noise unpleasant to turkeys.

One problem is that some residents may be feeding the turkeys, and thus giving them a strong incentive to stay around.

"The root cause of the turkeys' emboldened behavior is that local Albany residents are likely feeding the wild turkeys," Shah told the council. He asked the council to adopt an ordinance making feeding of the turkeys a finable offense.

Councilwoman Marge Atkinson said she had read that Contra Costa County bans feeding of wild turkeys and wondered whether Alameda County has a similar law. Almaguer said that Alameda County has no such ban.

Asked if the staff or council are considering such a ban, Almaguer told Patch, "It hasn't been brought up as yet. The council didn't really provide direction on that."

A notice posted Feb. 8 on the city website asks that people not feed the turkeys, and the city makes available a flyer from Fish and Wildlife titled, "Keep Me Wild: Feeding Wildlife is Dead Wrong."

Almaguer also told the council that the city discourages the feeding of the turkeys.

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