Not even the police are safe from the fearsome rafters of wild turkeys that seem to derive pleasure from tormenting and chasing innocent civilians.
In a post on Twitter Sunday, officers in Bridgewater shared a video of four of the large birds running after a police cruiser as it slowly rolled down the street. The clip shows the turkeys keeping stride with the vehicle as if they’re herding cattle, occasionally darting at the tires before falling back into formation.
“Aggressive turkeys are a problem in town,’’ Bridgewater police said in a tweet.
No kidding.
Officials said state law doesn’t allow the police or the town’s animal control officer to remove the ornery birds — or arrest them for disorderly conduct — and advised people who come across the turkeys to instead reach out to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Bridgewater isn’t alone in feeling as though the town’s hands are tied by state law when it comes to getting rid of often hostile wildlife.
In Cambridge last month, city councilors met and discussed ways to handle the foul fowl after receiving reports about combative birds from residents — and even experiencing run-ins themselves.
The City Council asked the city manager to come up with a guidance for constituents who are unsure of how to contend with the turkeys roaming the streets or exploring backyards.
A city of Cambridge webpage advises people to “scare or threaten them with loud noises, swatting with a broom, or water sprayed from a hose.’’
According to an Associated Press report, complaints about turkeys in urban settings have escalated in recent years.
The report said Boston officials received at least 60 complaints about turkeys in 2016. Meanwhile, in Somerville, Belmont, and Brookline, there have been a total of 137 “turkey gripes’’ combined since the beginning of last year.