Pinky, a young male who lives in Don Castro Regional Park, was shot with an arrow some time before Thanksgiving. He often visits the home of a couple for food in the Castro Valley area adjacent to the park, but since Pinky can fly, area wildlife specialists have been unable to restrain him and remove the arrow.
"We can't just put a net over him, because he's got this thing sticking out of his back," said Rebecca Dmytryk, who operates rescue nonprofit WildRescue with her husband Duane Titus. Wild turkeys like Pinky "fly extremely well," she said.
After being contacted by the family that feeds Pinky, the Monterey couple spent the past two weeks devising an appropriate trap. Dmytryk and Titus set up an enclosure of vinyl fencing and chicken wire on Tuesday, she said.
"This wouldn't work for a wild bird," she said. Pinky and his fellow rafter of turkeys "are habituated to coming into this neighborhood."
Today Pinky wandered into the enclosure, along with two females. However the trio managed to escape, probably because another bird landed on top of the netting and broke it, Dmytryk said.
WildRescue plans to try again, although Dmytryk said it could take another week before Pinky feels comfortable re-entering the fenced enclosure.
"There's no way we're giving up," she said.
While hunting is not allowed in Don Castro Regional Park, James Silliman, the park's supervisor, said the shooting may have occurred on nearby private land.
