Uncle Jed was dazed and wandering along the side of M-15 when Barrielyn June first spotted him. But it wasn’t until she saw the feathers on the ground she knew he was in trouble.
Just prior to the start of turkey season, local gobbler ‘Uncle Jed,?? as he was later dubbed by June’s husband? had apparently been grazed by a vehicle as he trotted his way along the busy road.
As someone experienced with wildlife rehabilitation, June recognized his signs of distress and took action.
‘I walked up to him and he didn’t move,? says June. ‘He just seemed stunned and I could see a little blood on his head, so I knew I needed to get him some help.?
However, when dealing with a large, wild and injured male turkey, ‘getting help? is easier said than done.
June’s first plan was to grab a towel she had in her trunk and wrap the bird in that so she could take him to a local vet. However, she soon realized that wasn’t going to work.
‘He was so big that the towel barely covered him,? says June.
It was then June found necessity is indeed the mother of invention, as she perused the contents of her car. Removing the pillow of a dog bed she had handy, June was able to make herself a handy dandy turkey holding sack.
‘I flipped that over him and zipped him up inside of that,? says June.
Once at the veterinary clinic, Uncle Jed was found to have injuries to his wing and to be a bit stunned, but to otherwise be in good health. The bird was given injections of steroids and antibiotics before being released into June’s care for a few days of rest and relaxation.
Having gone through wildlife rehabilitation classes with the Friends of Wildlife, and having 27 acres at her disposal at her home in Goodrich, June was up to the task. She used chicken wire to convert an alpaca stall in her barn into a rehabilitation coop for Uncle Jed, having been warned leaving the turkey exposed in a stall could lead to raccoon attacks.
‘I gave him some time to get strong again,? says June.
As days passed, Uncle Jed grew stronger as he recuperated with June’s care. She gave him food and water and applied Neosporin to his injured wing, nursing the large bird back to health. But after less than a week had passed, June noticed the turkey seemed to be taking a turn for the worse. When she saw him straining to gain access to a patch of sunlight in his stall, June knew it wasn’t his health that was failing Uncle Jed this time, it was his spirits.
‘I’ve rehabbed other things and’you wait too long and they die of other reasons,? says June. It was then she realized it was time Uncle Jed flew the coop, and reclaim his status as wild turkey about town.
June took Uncle Jed to a secluded section of her property and released him back into the folds of nature.
‘I think he was happy, he flew,? says June, ?…as best as a turkey can.?