Henrietta the turkey is dead, and it’s our fault

When authorities say not to feed the birds, believe them.

Henrietta, the wild turkey who was proclaimed by the public as the “mascot of the intersection at Haverhill and Lowell streets,” was hit by a car and killed March 11 as a direct result of the public continually feeding her. 

Her presence at the stop was first noted and posted about by Andover Animal Control on Facebook Jan. 18. 

“What Henrietta doesn’t realize is how much people care about her,” read the post. “We’ve gotten dozens of calls concerned about Henrietta’s well-being and the fact that she is in a very odd, and potentially dangerous, location.” 

The Facebook post established animal control’s theory that Henrietta was “booted from her flock nearby” and continually sought out this intersection as a place she’d like to exist. 

However, a post on Feb. 23 from animal control said birdseed was found mixed into the ground at the nearby car dealership. This phenomenon of people assuming Henrietta needed to be fed was the reason she continually sought out the dangerous intersection, according to the post. She was also causing traffic problems by blocking the road. 

The post asked the public to stop feeding her and to call animal control if a member of the public spotted someone feeding Henrietta.

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