EPISODE 469 DID WE TRADE 50 MOOSE FOR 274 WILD TURKEYS? (Yes,,,did so in 1984)
Alan skeoch
nov. 2021
alan skeoch
november 2021
MARJORIE SPOTTED THE FLOCK…BUT THEY SPOTTED HER FIRST
“Alan, quick get your camera…whole flock of wild turkeys in the south field.”, as Marjorie got the
window down on a rainy Oct. morning. The flock was immediately alert.
“They see us slowing down…they are moving away…FAST.”
“They have great eyes…better than ours.”
“And they have 360 degree vision…neck can swivel… hard to fool them.””
“How many are out there?”
“Maybe a dozen.”
“Can you spot the big Tom turkey…the male?”
“No, and in a few seconds they will be gone…they know we are not as quick.”
“They can run at 25 mph and fly at 55 mph. Not many people know that. They
think turkeys are toO fat to run and too big to fly. Wrong on both counts.
“Strange how we see these flockS so often these days. They were extinct in Ontario
for much of the 20 th century…Now they are almost common.”
“How many are there in Ontario do you think?”
“Professionals estimate 100,000…common.”
“How come? How did wild turkeys get re-established while so many other
birds and animals are in decline?
HOW DID WILD TURKEYS GET REESTABLISHED IN ONTARIO?
“Was the return of the wild turkeys natural?”
“Natural?”
“Yes, did they swim or fly across the river from Detroit or across the St. Lawrence River to Brockville?”
“No. They got here in 1984 due to Dr. David Ankney, a retired biology professor at Western University…he
argued for a trade with American states that wanted some of our wild animals.. The trade took some time
but in 1984 it happened. We got 274 wild turkeys.
1) traded 18 river otters to Missouri for wild turkeys
2) traded 120 Hungarian partridge to New York for wild turkeys
3) traded 50 moose from Alginqin Park To Michigan for wild turkeys
“That moose trade was expensive…50 moose for a few wild turkeys…Yuk!”
Then we released them in small groups in southern Ontario. Only real wild turkeys…no mixtures or domesticated turkeys.
The wild TOM TURKEYS Would not accept domesticated females as wives so those 274 had to be trapped in the forests of the USA.
“Let me see…you say 274 wild turkeys came to Ontario in 1984 and there are more than 100,000 here today.”
“That’s right.”
“Sounds untrue.”
“Not so. Look around…easy to spot them if you look hard enough. Some have even moved
to Muskoka and North Bay…northern places that had never had populations ever before.
They are here to stay.”
“What happened to our 50 moose and those river otters.?
“I have no idea…we could find out though.”
Wild Turkeys were worshipped by the Inca and Aztec people;
In no time the whole flock melded into the fall field colours. We never got close.