MOUNT LEBANON, PA (KDKA/CNN) - A wild turkey is the talk of the neighborhood in one Pennsylvania town, and some of its antics have gone viral.
Anyone who's driven on Washington Road in Mount Lebanon may have encountered it. It seems to be his regular hang out, and it apparently thinks it's all his.
"He seems to be very at home in this area; he's very settled in this area," said Roy Hayward, animal control officer with South Hills Co-Op. "We've had trouble with him since this summer."
It hasn't given anyone its name, but neighbors call it Stu - as in turkey stew.
Stu has become quite the celebrity in the town. It trots in and out of traffic without fear.
"He kind of wanders around, got in front of the car about a week ago," said resident Robert Kushner.
Hayward said one concern is people getting out of their cars to chase the turkey off the road.
Stu is the subject of countless Facebook posts.
"That turkey attacked my car!!" one post said.
Vince Papurello captured cell phone video Monday of Stu at an intersection. For several minutes, it ran alongside a police vehicle, pecking, biting it and backing up traffic.
"That turkey doesn't know what he looks like, so when he sees his reflection in the side of the vehicle he thinks it's somebody that's encroaching on his territory," Hayward said.
Hayward warned that turkeys have spurs on the back of their legs that they use these to defend themselves, so if it got to the point where it felt threatened, it could turn on the person trying to help. Despite that, neighbors seem to be happy to have Stu around.
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