Criminal turkey now the 'mayor' of the town it's terrorizing

Smoke the wild turkey is now the mayor of Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin. Or, well...he's an honorary one, at the very least.

Authorities have spent the past couple of months, trying to capture the mischievous bird, who has a penchant for standing in traffic and chasing school children, according to the Washington Post.

Afraid that he would eventually cause a traffic accident, or be harmed himself, the authorities have been trying to trap and send Smoke to a wildlife sanctuary. So far, he's evaded all attempts to capture him.

"Our animal control officers are pretty good, but he has some ninja-like moves," Ashwaubenon Public Safety Commander Randy Tews told the Washington Post. "They have a hard time getting him."

Eventually, Smoke became something of a local celebrity in Ashwaubenon – so much so that people have started calling him "the mayor." There's even a Facebook group about the turkey called Smoked Turkey — Mayor of Ashwaubenon.

The group currently has 1,700 members, some of whom are having T-shirts made in Smoke's honor.

As the Washington Post reports, while some residents of the town have complained about Smoke's antics, most seem to enjoy the turkey's presence, and feel he's brought "a sense of community" to the town. As nice as it is to have such an exciting presence in the neighborhood, authorities say that they're hoping that once snow falls Smoke will move along and return to his natural environment.

Good luck out there, Mayor Smoke.

[H/T: The Washington Post]