Turkey Found Shot with an Arrow, Police and Animal Control Investigating

A local animal hospital had to euthanize a wild turkey brought in by Marblehead Animal Control Thursday, and police are asking for anyone with information about the situation to come forward.

At about 10 a.m. Thursday, a Water and Sewer Department employee making his rounds on Edgemere Road (off Cloutman’s Lane) spotted the male turkey with the arrow still in it, a post on the Marblehead Police Department Facebook page reads.

That employee contacted an animal control officer and then helped load the injured animal into a vehicle.

Animal Control Officer Betsy Cruger said her assistant Laura Consigli actually spotted the injured animal last weekend in the same area, but was unable to capture it. When Cruger arrived on the scene Thursday, she said the animal was tangled in bushes and arrow wound in its wing was infected.

“This poor thing, somebody did this and it had to suffer,” Cruger said. She said they had to cut the arrow off in order to fold down the wing and get the bird into the vehicle.

The turkey was taken to Danvers Animal Hospital for treatment, but “he was in a really bad state and they had to euthanize him,” receptionist Sarah Corshia said Friday morning.

Now, police are looking for anyone who has information about the situation, as it is a felony to “mistreat or injure the turkeys,” the Facebook post reads.

The spring hunting season for wild turkeys is April 27-May 23; however, hunters are only allowed to hunt bearded turkeys and this turkey was not bearded, Cruger said. (A turkey beard is a ”modified feather that forms kind of a stiff bristle,” and extends from the mid-neck of male, and the occasional female, turkeys, according to Bull Creek Outfitters.)

“I know people are frustrated with the turkeys, but that’s not the solution,” Cruger said, adding that spraying turkeys with a hose or simply chasing them if they come into your yard usually scares them off.

“If I find out who did it, I’m going to press animal cruelty charges,” Cruger said, explaining that she planned to investigate the situation through the serial number on the arrow. “Something will come of this if I can find out who did this.”

Anyone with information about who shot the arrow is asked to contact Marblehead Police at 781-631-1212 or Animal Control at 781-631-8664.

Photo credit: Flickr, Black_throated_green_warbler