--- title: "Furious Turkeys Lay Siege to NASA Lab" description: "A gaggle of troublesome turkeys have laid siege to NASA's Ames Center in Mountain View, California." date: "2022-02-09" modified: "2022-02-09" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-turkeys" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "NASA" - "the digest" - "turkey" --- # Furious Turkeys Lay Siege to NASA Lab ![A gaggle of troublesome turkeys have laid siege to NASA's Ames Center in Mountain View, California.]() *\Image: NASA Ames\* ## Turkey Trouble NASA has really gone to the birds. As [*The Mercury News* reports](), a gaggle of troublesome turkeys have laid siege to NASA's Ames Center in Mountain View, California. According to the report, the Ames gobblers are defecating all over campus, blocking traffic, pecking at windows and cars — they're even proving to be a threat to the agency's aircraft. Making matters worse, people are refusing to stop feeding the birds in spite of a "no feeding the wildlife" policy. Turkeys and other wild birds aren't uncommon at the Bay Area facility, the *Mercury News* reports, but their numbers ballooned since the pandemic began. According to NASA Ames spokesperson Rachel Hoover, there were between five and eight wild turkeys spotted around the center before 2019. Now, there are an estimated 20 to 25. Hoover also told the newspaper that employees suspect the females have been laying eggs at a nearby creek and bringing their young onto the campus. https://twitter.com/mariannefavro/status/1491148281719623680 ## Capture and Release With nesting season around the corner, the US Department of Agriculture is now attempting to get a handle on the situation at Ames before it gets even more out of hand. The agency is working in tandem with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to trap and relocate the birds safely using a pretty elaborate scheme involving weeks of corn-baiting in specific areas, and funnel-entranced corral traps. They're then placed in "turkey boxes," taken to a nearby reserve, and later released. Time is of the essence with this relocation not only because the turkeys are soon to nest, but also because officials want to "ensure that the young turkeys don’t learn from older turkeys in regards to damaging cars and landscaping," USDA spokesperson Tanya Espinosa told the *Mercury News*. It's a fowl situation, but at least they're not going the way of Turkey Day. **READ MORE:** [Flock of turkeys wreaking havoc at the NASA Ames center in Mountain View. Now, feds are trying to relocate them.]() \[*The Mercury News*\] **More Silicon Valley bird brains:** [*Silicon Valley City to Use Cheapo Lasers to Fight Invasion of Furious Crows*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()