A letter carrier is recovering from a hip replacement after being attacked by two turkeys in Cambridge.
Two turkeys attacked a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier in Cambridge, Massachusetts, last month, according to the man, who had to have his hip replaced, and neighbors who helped shoo the birds away.
The mail carrier is recovering, but he says the aggressive behavior is becoming a big problem.
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"I was horrified when they came flying in my face," Eddie Mitchell, who's carried the mail for roughly 20 years, recalled to NBC10 Boston.
He recalled what happened in the attack on Huron Avenue, which left neighbors shocked, even though they are used to seeing turkeys around.
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"They started to gobble gobble," Mitchell said. "I was like, let me get back to my truck. I turned my bag to defend myself. I walked back to my truck and that's when they started making noises. Then they flew right in my face and knocked me over."
Theda Skocpol helped get the birds away from Mitchell when she heard a scream.
"They were sitting there acting like they wanted to be near him some more," she said. "I think they were attracted to his mail bag."
Mitchell couldn't stand — "I couldn't feel anything, I wasn't really in pain, I just could not stand up," he said — and had to be taken to the hospital, where he was told he needed surgery.
"I couldn’t believe it," he said.
He told The Boston Globe that staff at Mount Auburn Hospital found the story of the attack funny, and said they'd never seen a turkey hurt someone so severely.
A postal service representative confirmed an attack in Cambridge to NBC10 Boston and said turkeys have been known to attack letter carriers.
"It's the hazards you don't expect, like the hose or rake under the leaves or the animal you've walked past 100 times without incident, that can take you by surprise. Turkeys, while sometimes docile, have also been known to be very territorial and can get aggressive if they feel threatened," Steve Doherty said in an email.
He didn't provide statistics on how many turkey attacks have been reported, but said that turkey encounters are common, but usually just a nuisance, blocking a vehicle or chasing a carrier on a route, which doesn't require a report.
Mitchell said he and others have complained about the turkeys — so common in Cambridge that they're sometimes suggested as a new mascot for Harvard's sports teams — for about a year.
"They chase all the mailmen around. They chase our trucks. They peck at the wheels of our trucks," he said.
Some neighbors have sent Mitchell a care package, and he hopes to be back delivering mail as soon as he's able.
