‘I’m just glad it wasn’t my apartment’: Police capture turkey breaking and entering

WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW/Gray News) - A wild turkey broke through a second-story window at a Wisconsin apartment Friday, causing the police to come to rescue the bird and re-release it.

Doris Madden lives at City Walk Apartments in Wausau. She told WSAW she was suspicious Friday when she noticed the broken window.

“We had no idea what had caused it or if anybody was even home,” Madden said.

She called the apartment manager, who got maintenance to investigate.

“When he opened the door, there’s the turkey. And he thought, ‘I’m not going to try to catch that thing.’ So, he called the police station for animal control,” Madden said.

Wausau Police Department Patrol Captain Todd Baeten said they have just one humane officer, so most of the time, even for animal calls, patrol officers are first on the scene.

“They just have to try to do the best they can with the information that they have and the equipment available to them,” he said.

Baeten says he’s proud of how the officers handled the situation, showing how adaptable the department is. Police said they also did their best to keep the bird from any harm by using long gloves and a fishing net to capture the wild bird.

“It really underscores the unpredictable nature of the job that our officers are asked to do at any given time,” Baeten said.

Madden said it has the whole building ‘talking turkey’ after the incident.

“I think it’s kind of funny. I’m just glad it wasn’t my apartment,” Madden said.

Police sais they released the turkey unharmed outside after the capture.

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