Metro
exclusive
NYC neighborhood comes together for effort to protect local celebrity Rosie the Turkey
Roosevelt Island is for the birds.
The neighborhood will become the first in New York City to put up “Turkey Crossing” signs in a bid to protect a rare bird that has recently made the area her home, The Post has learned.
The bright yellow placards will warn drivers to keep their eyes peeled for the now-famous feathery neighbor Rosie, a wild turkey who was first spotted strutting on the island off the East River in May.
A concerned neighbor dropped off two of such signs at the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation office Friday morning, which the local governing body said will be erected at some of Rosie’s hangout spots in the next few days.
“I worry because Ms. Turkey, Rosie, she doesn’t have a good sense of direction, and she just walks in the middle of the street. She doesn’t know any better,” Judy Berdy, 77, who made the placards, told The Post.
“I think people realize that she’s a wild animal and she should be respected. She should safely cross the streets of New York.”
The addition will make Roosevelt Island the only community in the Big Apple to have “Turkey Crossing” signs — not even Staten Island, infamous for its aggressive fowl, has such warnings, the city Department of Transportation confi🍃rmed.
Locals have crowed about Rosie since she popped up on Roosevelt Island in mid-May after making the trek from Long Island City. She also tried Midtown a try — where she was spotted working her way through the thick traffic.
But a tragic motor acciꦰdent impacting the gutsy gobbler is a real fear: Zelda, a famed wild turkey who called Battery Park home for more than a decade, was fatally moꦜwed down in 2014 during a morning stroll.
Despite ditching the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, Rosie has already come close to the same fate — locals have spotted the fowl dodging cars and mopeds careening around street corners.
The RIOC is hoping adding “Turkey Crossing” signs throughout the 2-mile community will help avoid a turkey tragedy.
The idea was in the wo🐬rks before Berdy took it upon herself to purchase two of the yellow metal signs, which cost her a total of just $50.
The RIOC is in the process of developing more, whi♏ch might be more🧸 personalized than the standard triangular signs.
“We think this is a great idea and will work on installing some helpful signage as soon as we can,” Bryant Daniels, a spokesperson for the RIOC, said.
“It only took one visit for our feathered friend to realize Roosevelt Island is the place to be. Beautiful green spaces, quiet streets, a friendly and welcoming community; it’s no wonder why she decided to set-up shop here and become a local celebrity.”
For the most part, locals are receptive t꧂o plastering the yellow, triangular street signs throughout the island if it means protecting their lone ꧙turkey.
“I feel that signage is necessary even though there is only one wild turkey living here,” resident and animal expert Rossana Ceruzzi said. “Feeding can cause the turkey to cross the road more frequently increasing the risk of getting killed by a vehicle and also not to leave the island for a safer area.”
Another resident, who identified herself as Laura, 32, agreed that “They should do it.”
She said Rosie has become a staple of the community during her four-month stay and is known to hang out at Starbucks and get “really close to people.”
“It is really committed to the island,” she said.
“I love that turkey. She’s a cool little thing that popped up on the island. The famous turkey,” added another local, Rachel Leopold, 33.
Residents have been o🔯vertly protective of Rosie since her arrival, except for some cruel kids who have been spotted hurling rocks and chasing her down with water guns.
The wild turkey could be on the island for the long haul — the Animal Care Centers of NYC previously said it had no plans to bag the bird.
