Arizona wild turkey reaches a conservation milestone
Courtesy of GrandViewOutdoors.com
The National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) has announced the release of the 200,000th wild bird in southern Arizona.
The trapped bird was one of 15 Gould's wild turkeys captured in the Coronado National Forest and then taken to Gardner Canyon near Tucson.
NWTF says Gardner Canyon has suitable habitat but no wild turkeys.
A trap and transfer program brings in wild turkeys from areas with high bird populations. The birds are then set free in sustainable habitat where few birds exist.
The conservation group says wild turkeys were on the brink of extinction in the early 1990s.
The federation credits work by government agencies and others for helping raise the number of wild turkeys today to more than 7 million.