Livingston Campus, which remains as one of the most heavily wooded Rutgers areas despite the major construction that has been ongoing over the past several years, is the most prolific location for discovering strange animal life. Another recent Rutgers Rarities discovery that was made, though this had been reported by a local wildlife expert in addition to many other sources, was wild turkeys. Wild turkeys were found in the wooded area off of Avenue E on the outskirts of Livingston. This is the same site where several coyote sightings had occurred as well. The turkeys themselves were grey in color, and did not possess all of the same features as one would expect from the traditional image of a Thanksgiving Day turkey. The birds appeared to resemble vultures more than anything else. Some pictures were taken, but as we slowly approached, they took off quickly and calmly into the thick of the woods. I, personally, have never seen a wild turkey before this experience, so I consider it a rarity, though others may keep them as pets or see them all the time. In any case, it was rare to me, so back off.
