A Boise Mail Carrier’s Secret Weapon Against Neighborhood Turkeys: One Umbrella

BOISE, ID—Somewhere in a Boise neighborhood, a mail carrier has added an umbrella to her daily uniform, and it has nothing to do with the weather.

Video filmed by resident Victor Ramos shows the carrier using the umbrella to fend off a flock of wild turkeys that have apparently claimed her route as their personal territory. Ramos told Storyful that the local turkey population has grown significantly over the past few years, and for reasons science has yet to explain, the birds have developed a particular grievance with his mail carrier. He says he steps in to help when things get out of hand.

Wild turkeys are a well-established presence across the Boise Foothills and surrounding neighborhoods, where flocks have expanded steadily as the city has grown into their habitat. They are technically protected under state wildlife regulations, which limits the options for discouraging them—making an umbrella, in retrospect, a surprisingly elegant solution.

Dogs everywhere now have company in their long-standing feud with the postal service.