The Prospect Park Zoo is home to Franklin the turkey and several females

WCS’s Wild View will feature a blog about Franklin on Thanksgiving Day: http://blog.wcs.org/photo

Brooklyn, N.Y. – November 25, 2014 -- The wild turkey is native to North America. Historical reports indicate the turkey was first domesticated in Mesoamerica approximately 2,000 years ago. Unlike their domestic cousins, wild turkeys are strong fliers and typically roost in trees at night.

The turkeys at the Prospect Park Zoo live in the barnyard alongside other domestic animals, including sheep, goats, miniature zebus, and geese. There is also a picturesque walkthrough garden that includes a pond that attracts visiting ducks and other birds.

WCS’s Wild View (blog.wcs.org/photo) will feature a blog by Prospect Park Zoo Director Denise McClean about Franklin on Thanksgiving Day.

For more information about this story or to speak with the experts involved, please contact Barbara Russo at 718-265-3428 or brusso@wcs.org.

CONTACT:
Barbara Russo – 718-265-3428; brusso@wcs.org
Max Pulsinelli – 718-220-5182; mpulsinelli@wcs.org

The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Prospect Park Zoo – $8 for adults, $6 for seniors 65 and older, $5 for kids 3-12, free for children under 3. Zoo hours are 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. weekdays, and to 5:30 P.M. on weekends and holidays, April through October. 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. November through March. The Prospect Park Zoo is located at 450 Flatbush Avenue in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. For further information, call 718-399-7339 or visit www.prospectparkzoo.com .

Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) - MISSION: WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. VISION: WCS envisions a world where wildlife thrives in healthy lands and seas, valued by societies that embrace and benefit from the diversity and integrity of life on earth. To achieve our mission, WCS, based at the Bronx Zoo, harnesses the power of its Global Conservation Program in more than 60 nations and in all the world’s oceans and its five wildlife parks in New York City, visited by 4 million people annually. WCS combines its expertise in the field, zoos, and aquarium to achieve its conservation mission. Visit: www.wcs.org; facebook.com/TheWCS ;youtube.com/user/WCSMedia; follow: @theWCS .

Note to the Media: If you would like to guide your readers or viewers to a Web link where they can make donations in support of helping save wildlife and wild places, please direct them to www.wcs.org.