A turkey tale: Injured fowl in Stratford, Ont. goes on wild journey and gets adopted

An injured turkey, found blocking traffic recently in Stratford Ont., is getting a new lease on life.

At the end of last month, the Stratford Police Service was alerted about a turkey in trouble.

"It's a four-lane roadway. It was affecting traffic so officers arrived on scene and found a turkey that was there wandering around," said Cst. Darren Fischer.

The turkey is now on Fowler's farm where she'll stay with the other rescue animals. (CTV News/Spencer Turcotte)Officers aren't entirely sure how the turkey got there, but they have a hunch.

"We're assuming that she jumped off of a livestock truck that was passing through the city, potentially to save her own life," said Fischer.

Whether it jumped, or the turkey toppled off the truck, it was brought to the Stratford-Perth Humane Society. Word of the bird spread quickly online and prompted one woman to jump in and help.

"Basically just provide her with a forever home if she needed it so that she wouldn't have to go back to where she came from, or where she was going," said Janita Fowler, who adopted the fowl, and whose name makes this match even more fitting.

Janita Fowler adopted the fowl, after it was found blocking traffic in Stratford Ont. (CTV News/Spencer Turcotte)Fowler named the turkey Gobble Gobble, who had a wobble-wobble, when she took her in.

"She couldn't walk. She had a lot of trouble standing, even. She was not used to using her legs very much," said Fowler. "Her entire chest was without any feathers on it. It was covered in calluses."

Called GiGi for short, the turkey's path took an unexpected and positive turn. With the help of Fowler, and other feathered friends that she rescued, the fortunate fowl was nursed back to health.

The turkey has many new friends on Fowler's farm. (Submitted/Janita Fowler)"Now she is as good as new. She's walking, she can run, she's just living the best life possible now," Fowler said.

The turkey may look grumpy but she is anything but that.

Even when CTV News went to meet the bird, it stood out in the middle of a thunderstorm with rain dripping down its beak, despite having a shelter to keep dry in.

Perhaps a sign that it's glad to be soaking in all that freedom.

The adopted turkey has a new lease on life. (Submitted/Janita Fowler)GiGi had no markings indicating where she came from or where she was going.

So as fate would have it, she ended up on Fowler's farm where she'll stay with the other rescue animals forever – a fairy tale ending for one lucky fowl.