Law-breaking turkey finds new flock of feathered friends – after SA Police deliver him to an animal shelter

A wild turkey who menaced shopping centre customers on the weekend and was nabbed by the cops has turned over a new leaf – and embraced Instagram fame.

A plucky turkey had shoppers in a flap after he cornered patrons and apparently a cleaner at a northern suburbs shopping centre on Sunday.

SA Police said patrols were called to the Para Hills Shopping Centre just after 8am after customers at a deli were confronted by a turkey who was “ruffling his feathers and refusing to let them leave”.

“Police went in cold turkey and apprehended him without incident, before placing him in their vehicle,” police said on Facebook.

“After a brief interview police discovered he was simply talking turkey as he kept repeating ‘gobble gobble’.”

Constable Clump the wandering turkey at the Fairview Lodge Animal Shelter. He looks different to the photo in the back of a police paddywagon because he is puffing up his feathers to “display” to his new friends in the enclosure. Picture: Kerri Bryant

Vision of the inquisitive bird approaching the Wilkinson Rd deli also surfaced on social media. The deli is next a chicken and fish takeaway shop.

Police took the bird to Fairview Lodge Animal Shelter at Hillier.

On its Facebook page the shelter said the turkey had been “terrorising the local community” and bailed up a cleaner in the shopping centre.

“The suspect was arrested and delivered to us and is currently in detention awaiting bail,” the shelter said. Its president Kerri Bryant told The Advertiser the turkey had been nicknamed Constable Clump.

“He’s settled in well ... he did chase my grandson,” she said. “He will stay here, if someone makes inquiries as to owning him we’ll certainly have those discussions.”

He is a relatively young turkey, about 18 months old – turkeys can live to about 10 years of age – so little wonder he already has his own Instagram account.