Wild turkey spotted casually waiting for a ride in Mississauga bus shelter
We've all heard the famous riddle, 'why did the chicken cross the road?' But have you ever heard, 'why did the turkey wait for the bus?'
Well, that bizarre situation actually unfolded today in Mississauga, when a very wild turkey was spotted patiently waiting for the bus like a regular ole' human being on their daily commute.
Hey @MiWayHelps! There's a very patient wild turkey trying to cross the road.... 🦃🚌
— Credit Valley Conservation (@CVC_CA) January 18, 2023
Anyone else in @citymississauga see this guy today?! pic.twitter.com/IYAFSt4ZoR
Captured and posted by the funny folks at Credit Valley Conservation, a lone turkey with some of its feathers puffed out can be seen waiting in the bus shelter, clearly running late for a very important meeting, or maybe an invitation as the "guest of honour" at a dinner party.
The City of Mississauga also got in on the fun, commenting, "even our local wildlife like being environmentally-friendly by taking the bus," which is actually kind of sad given the turkey is standing on concrete covered by a pound of road salt.
This reminds me of a similar 'wild animal taking public transit story' from almost two years earlier, when a beaver found its way onto the Royal York subway platform.
Beaver finds its way into TTC station and interrupts Toronto's morning commute https://t.co/PEYSt0Rz4R #Toronto #TTC #Beaver
— blogTO (@blogTO) March 25, 2021
Former manager of strategic communications at Metrolinx, Anne Marie Aikins, also commented on the post when a reader asked how much the fare was for a poor turkey.
"Expecting fowl weather?" she joked.
Wild turkeys are actually pretty common in Ontario after they were reintroduced to the province in 1984. Before this assisted recovery, the birds were actually considered locally extinct, or extirpated, due to habitat loss and overhunting.
Considering the incredible levels of salt dumped at many of these shelters, it's very surprising indeed. But really, that land was the turkey's home before us, and the endless stretches of impermeable pavement there today leave little land intact for them.
— Sustainable Mississauga (@SustainSauga) January 18, 2023
All jokes aside, it's hard to not feel sad about this scenario, seeing as we've taken over the turkey's habitat, and now it's forced to live in our gross concrete world while its natural environment continues to dwindle.
Our wildlife is being negatively impacted by our crumbling natural environment :-( the bird is LOST and CONFUSED people! Not a reason to celebrate.
— Pennygirl (@klastuck1) January 18, 2023
So, Miss Turkey (I believe it's a female), I'm sorry that you've ended up in this terrible situation. And I'm not just talking about the bus in January.
Credit Valley Conservation
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