Local Rescuers Free Turkey Stuck High Up in Tree

A turkey “entangled and distressed” 25 feet up in a tree Sunday afternoon in Hamilton was freed with the help of a team of local police and firefighters.

The turkey had gotten wire wrapped tightly around its leg, and the wire got caught on a tree where “the turkey was perched, rendering the fowl helpless hanging upside down,” according to a news release from the Hamilton Police Department.

The rescue began after the homeowner where the turkey was stuck tried to reach to bird on his own.

“The homeowner originally tried to get the animal free with a ladder but it was too high,” said Hamilton Police Lt. Scott Janes, who took part in the rescue.

The Bay Road resident, who lives near Hamilton Town Hall, then decided to call police at 1:19 p.m.

Both police and animal control arrived and after evaluating the situation for about 10 minutes determined that the Fire Department’s ladder truck was needed to reach the bird, Janes said. Three firefighters and the ladder truck arrived and were able to reach the turkey.

“Once on the ground the wire was removed from the bird before it was released into the wild,” according to the police news release.

The wire wrapped tightly around the turkey's leg was twine that that had likely been improperly disposed and the turkey got tangled in at some point, Janes said.

In addition to Hamilton police and fire department, plus the animal control officer, state Environmental Police also took part in the rescue, which took about 45 minutes.

While admittedly police have handled “a lot of strange animal calls,” Janes said, this is the first one he can remember involving a turkey.