In Defense of Falmouth’s Turkeys

They strut down Falmouth’s Main Street. They puff out their chests. They hold their ground when you walk past.

Nope, they won’t be intimidated. They are Cape Cod’s most daring denizens. And they just happen to be wild turkeys.

Visitors to downtown Falmouth, have peacefully (mostly) coexisted with the dozen or so birds that call this area home.

In recent years, they have become bolder, traveling down the main artery in town, stopping traffic, chasing after police cars (we have the pictures to prove it) and walking past storefronts, occasionally peeking in, but refusing to spend their hard-earned money to support local businesses like our own Board Stiff and American Sunglass.

Last fall, the turkeys became famous for this short clip captured by the online magazine CapeCodWave that shows them chasing after one local mailman.

The video was featured on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, the Today Show, Inside Edition, the New York Daily News, the Boston Globe and Boston Magazine to name a few.

At X-Wear, we think the national recognition of the turkeys (and the video) was well-deserved. We are proud of these animals which inhabit our little corner of the world. They bring a quirkiness to downtown Falmouth. Often, we see people taking photos and videos of them. They are an added attraction, spicing up our daily routines.

Which is why we were saddened to read two recent CapeCodWave stories (click here and here) that one of them (i.e. the leader of the flock) was euthanized due to complaints they were getting overly aggressive.

Clearly, there are better ways to deal with a problem – particularly an animal one as relatively harmless as a turkey – than simply killing it. Rather than dwell on a negative, we simply hope that the remaining turkeys will continue to thrive in Falmouth, bringing an added joy to the lives of the humans that share this space with them. After all, turkeys are the state bird of Massachusetts.

If you’re a fan of Falmouth’s turkeys, we encourage you to browse our selection of turkey T-shirts to show your support of our avian neighbors. And make sure to check out our latest website www.falmouthturkey.com for all news turkey-related.