Wild Turkey Successfully Released Back Into the Wild
November 18, 2011
Media Contact:
Janice Mackey, DFGCommunications, (916) 322-8908
Patrick Foy,DFGLaw Enforcement, (916) 508-7095
The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) and UC Davis worked together to capture, treat and release a wild turkey that captured residents’ imagination this week.
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Two DFGemployees, Warden Patrick Foy andDFGWildlife Veterinarian Ben Gonzales captured an elusive wild turkey that was shot with an arrow and had been living in theDavisarea with arrow protruding from its body. Early Friday morning, after several unsuccessful capture attempts, Foy and Gonzales used a netgun to secure the frightened animal and transported it to the animal emergency room at UC Davis’ veterinary care facility.
“This turkey was very lucky, we had some of the best veterinary care in the world available just across the freeway,” said Warden Foy. “It was a real animal ‘ER’.”
At UC Davis, the two-year-old male turkey was evaluated by a team of veterinarians specializing in avian species and surgery. Dr. Michelle Hawkins, associate professor of veterinary medicine determined that the arrow had penetrated the soft tissue of the turkey’s tail but had missed the bird’s vital organs.
“He will fly again,” said Dr. Hawkins. “The arrow was removed from the turkey and antibiotics were administered. When the turkey awoke, it was evident he was ready to go home.”
Friday morning DFGemployees and the Davissurgical team were on hand as the bird was released to its home habitat. Video is available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/californiadfg/,
Wild turkey season is open through the Nov. 27, however the turkey was shot before the season had opened and was wounded with a target arrow instead of a hunting arrow, both illegal actions.
Weighing up to20 pounds, the wild turkey was once under consideration to be the national bird for theUnited States. While these wild game birds seem harmless, they often become pests, destroying flower and vegetable gardens, leaving their droppings on patios and decks, and roosting on cars.
Draft Planning Agreement Available for Public Comment
November 23, 2011
Media Contacts:
Jeb Bjerke, Environmental Scientist, (916) 358-2956
Dana Michaels, DFG Communications, (916) 322-2420
Bank swallows in area of concern. DFG photo by Jeb Bjerke.
The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) has made a proposed planning agreement available to the public for review and comment. This agreement highlights and solidifies the cooperative partnerships that DFG has developed with Yuba and Sutter counties, the cities of Yuba City, Live Oak and Wheatland, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop a natural community conservation plan (NCCP) covering parts of Yuba and Sutter counties.
Pursuant to Fish and Game Code section 2810(d), the draft planning agreement will be available for public review and comment until Dec. 13, 2011.
The primary objective the NCCP is to conserve natural communities at the ecosystem level while accommodating compatible land use and economic activities. NCCP planning takes a broad-based ecosystem approach to planning for the protection and perpetuation of biological diversity, and seeks to anticipate and prevent controversies and streamline endangered species permitting by focusing on the long-term stability of wildlife and plant communities and by including key interests in the process. As a part of the NCCP implementation process, habitat reserves will be established for giant garter snake, Swainson’s hawk and other covered species.
The NCCP will also be prepared as a habitat conservation plan (HCP) under the federal Endangered Species Act.
The proposed planning agreement is available on the DFG website at http://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=39871. The public may review and comment on the proposed planning agreement before DFG approves it. Comments must be received by Dec. 13, 2011, and may be e-mailed to at jbjerke@dfg.ca.gov.
Comments may also be mailed or hand delivered to:
Jeb Bjerke, Environmental Scientist
Department of Fish and Game
1701 Nimbus Road
Rancho Cordova, CA 95670
Filed under Habitat Conservation, Public Comment Tagged with Northern California, public comments