Ostrich Wanders in Traffic After Escaping Faulty Trailer in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

An ostrich was seen in the middle of South Louise Avenue on Friday, 27 August 2024 after it escaped from a trailer with a "faulty door." The owner and bystanders worked together to get the large bird out of the middle of the road and back to its trailer.

Ostrich in traffic; created by Dall-E 3

Ostrich Wandering in Sioux Falls Traffic

When an ostrich wanders around in the middle of traffic, people notice.

This was the case on Friday when motorists called the Sioux Falls police about an ostrich moving around on a busy four-lane road in the city. That road was South Louise Avenue and it was heading south in front of Coffea Roasterie. This story was reported in the Argus Leader.

Sioux Falls Animal Control did confirm that the ostrich escaped from a trailer that had a "faulty door," according to the owner of the animal.

Sioux Falls Animal Control officer Thomas Rhoades said, "The ostrich suffered no injuries, appeared just fine by us and was back with its owner before we had to take over."

The ostrich owner was able to capture his bird, and get it safely back into the trailer without a problem.

CBS Chicago posted a video on YouTube from the event, which can be seen below.

Ostrich Recorded in Sioux Falls Traffic (YouTube Video)

The video was taken by Beverly Froslie Johnson and people can be seen trying to get the bird's attention by holding a plastic bag with food near its face to try and coax it out of the street.

Colorado "Turkey Lady' is Given a Citation for 'Disorderly Conduct' After Tapping on a Car That Almost Hits Her

A Thornton, Colorado woman known for escorting turkeys across the road is given a ticket for disorderly conduct after an irate driver nearly hits her and calls 911. She just wants to assist wild turkeys across the road safely, but has ended up ruffling the feathers of local birds.

Turkeys; photo by Ruth Caron on Unsplash

Question: Why did the turkeys cross the road?

Answer: To get to the other side.

Turkeys crossing the road is what caused a ruckus in Thornton, Colorado. Seen below is a photo of the local "Turkey woman" helping turkeys cross the street.

Turkeys crossing the road

According to the National Wild Turkey Foundation (NWTF), there were 7 million turkeys in the U.S. in 2015, and "inhabit 19,000 square miles of forest lands in Colorado. (Source: Colorado Outdoors Magazine)

A Thornton Woman Wants to Help Turkeys Cross a Busy Road

FOX31 KDVR News reported that Mary Ann Strauch was just "helping turkeys cross the road" not far from her residence at York Street and 124th Avenue when a motorist "sped around her," almost hitting her.

During the incident, "Turkey lady" Mary Ann Strauch tapped the back of the car with a stick she used to herd the turkeys, and that set the driver off.

Mary Ann said:

“She got really irate and jumped out and started yelling at me,” Strauch said. “And she insisted on calling 911 and having the police come out, and then we were all detained out here about 2 and a half hours.” -Mary Ann Strauch, the "Turkey lady"

Thornton Police arrived at the scene and sorted out the situation, and ultimately cited both women for disorderly conduct. This upset Mary Ann Strauch because she was just wanting to help nature.

She said:

“I try to help the birds be safe, and I think I’m helping the motorists as well,” she said. “Most of the people seem to really enjoy the birds, and they really appreciate me being out here helping the birds.” -Mary Ann Strauch, the "Turkey lady"

Signs at Turkey Crossings Don't Slow Car Traffic

Karen Bigelow, a Thornton City Councilmember worked with the turkey lady to get turkey crossing signs installed, but signs alone don't slow cars buzzing by, and the city can't do anything to slow the traffic, either.

“What I was told is we can’t touch the turkeys, we can’t re-home them, because they’re wildlife,” she said. “I don’t understand why we can’t rehome these turkeys when we do rehome prairie dogs from development areas. What’s the difference? I’ve not been able to get an answer on this at all.” -Karen Bigelow, Thornton City Councilmember

Turkey lady Mary Ann Strauch says that despite this incident, she will keep helping these turkeys across the road.

Why?

To help them get to the other side safely. Mary is concerned cars will hit them.

She said:

“When they cross these busy roads, particularly 124th or York, they are getting run over,” she said of the turkeys. “I wonder what happens when someone gets in an accident because of the turkeys?” -Mary Ann Strauch, the "Turkey lady"

 

Thoughts

It's time for the readers to share their thoughts and opinions.

• Do you think that the Turkey lady is helping the community?
• Do you think that the city of Thornton should do something to slow traffic at turkey crossings?
• What do you think needs to happen to protect the turkeys and drivers?

Sources

Colorado Parks & Wildlife website: "Turkey"

Coloradooutdoorscontributor. "5 Tips for Hunting Merriam's Turkeys." Colorado Outdoors. 14 May 2015.

Kruegel, Evan. "‘Turkey lady’ confronted while helping neighborhood birds cross the street." FOX31 KDVR News. 5 October 2023.

Summary: A local woman has taken it upon herself to assist wild turkeys cross the road in Thornton, Colorado.

California Department of Motor Vehicle Files Complaint: Tesla 'Mislead Consumers'

Photo by Vlad Tchompalov on Unsplash

On July 28, 2022, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) filed a complaint against Tesla's self-driving and autopilot claims.

Tesla posted several claims on its website that its vehicles “could be equipped with advanced driver assistance systems” and “the system is designed to run short and long-distance trips with no action required by the driver.” Both statements are untrue and misleading, according to the complaint.

Complaint: Tesla Ran Misleading Advertisements on its Website

In the period May 2021 to July 2022, Tesla (TSLA) ran advertisements on its website "at least five times,” which violates California's Civil Code, according to the DMV complaint.

The driving features Tesla labeled as "Autopilot" and "Full Self-Driving Capability" was described in the suit as misleading.

Tesla stated in its advertisement: "Your Tesla will determine the optimal route, navigating urban streets, complicated intersections, and freeways."

In June 2022, Tesla began using a disclaimer that these features require active driver supervision, which contradicts the "misleading labels and claims," according to the complaint.

The “Autopilot” feature comes standard in all Tesla vehicles.

Tesla warns drivers to stay alert while using it, but a 2021 MIT study found that drivers using the feature were more distracted and looked away from the road more often.

Fact: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data released in June 2022 found 273 crashes involving Tesla driver-assist technologies in the past nine months, either caused by Tesla Autopilot or its full self-driving software.

NHTSA studied 497 crashes, and 43 percent were caused by driver-assist technologies, commonly referred to as “Autopilot” and “Full Self-driving Capability.”