Pervis loves his stuffed Downtown Tom
Downtown Tom was a semi-wild turkey that hung out around the downtown area near Wells Fargo. Tom was a dick, but him and his turkey friends were a notable part of the downtown Davis scene. Many 911 calls were made over the years from people Tom was chasing down the block or had backed into a corner.
Tom's belligerent behavior may have led to the passing of an ordinance that allowed euthanizing aggressive turkeys. Attempts by wildlife officials to relocate Downtown Tom failed, and they only managed to chase Tom out to 8th street. Downtown Tom was the first turkey to be killed in Davis in the name of public safety after the city of Davis hired contractors to work with the police to eliminate him in 2017.
If Downtown Tom approached you in the cold hours of the night, the best strategy was not to play dead! You had to stand tall, clap your hands, use nearby objects as a shield, and be the bigger bird!
Tom's aggression may or may not have been related to the Turkey Slaughter of 2016. It is rare to see turkeys downtown now, but they can still be found in less crowded areas of Davis.
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I have seen turkeys chasing down foreign exchange students. I got out of the car & made myself big. This was on 8th street a while back. Might have been DTTom - Daubert
Some speculate that Downtown Tom is currently being held captive by the Davis Police Department. #FreeDowntownTom
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