Estimated to be around 20 pounds, Gerald had been causing problems in the Grand Lake neighborhood for months, attacking dozens of people and ultimately leading to the closure of nearby Morcom Rose Garden, an 8-acre municipal garden that was his favorite stomping grounds.
Rebecca Dmytryk, a wildlife expert and founder and director of Wildlife Emergency Services based in the Monterey Bay area, was hired to humanely capture Gerald in the park after attempts by the city were unsuccessful.
After observing the bird a few weeks earlier, she and her husband, Duane Titus, arrived at the rose garden on Thursday to make their first attempt at capturing the wayward bird.
"When we got there, there were no turkeys in sight," Dmytryk told CNN. "We worried we missed him, and he'd gone somewhere else."
That soon changed. Dmytryk and Titus spotted Gerald along with some other turkeys in a redwood grove near an overlook in the park. According to Dmytryk, Gerald was eying a family with children, and possibly in attack mode. The family wasn't supposed to be there as the park has been closed since May 23 due to the rampaging turkey.
Stocked with berries and carrying an air-powered net gun, Dmytryk moved to disrupt the turkey's advance.
"I quickly threw the blueberries, and I got (Gerald's) attention. I got the attention of another turkey with babies at her side and they all started coming in very excitedly eating the food, which was great," Dmytryk said, "But then, the net gun wasn't working properly."
Titus went back to their truck. Dmytryk, meanwhile, continued to distract Gerald with the berries.
Just to see if there would be a change in the bird's behavior, Dmytryk switched up her movements -- and it worked. The bird became seemingly more aggressive. Thinking on her feet, she went into victim mode, all to lure Gerald even closer.
"And I realized -- oh, OK, you're thinking I might be a victim. All right, I'll play into it," the wildlife expert said. "So I hunched over a little bit and I brought my arms into my chest, got a little smaller and acted afraid."
The bird came closer, and Dmytryk waited for her moment to make a move. In an instant, she went to grab Gerald in the featherless area of his neck and shoulders.
"And just within a millisecond, I had my arms wrapped around him to keep those powerful wings folded in. You kind of hug them -- not tightly, because they have to move their sternum to breathe."
Within minutes, Titus was back on the scene, and they both managed to get Gerald in his carrier. Fish and Wildlife arrived soon after, and they escorted the couple and the turkey to his new home. The city has since reopened Morcom Rose Garden.
Gerald was tagged and released in an uninhabited area in Orinda, miles away from the rose garden, Dmytryk said. She added that she had seen other turkeys in the area and was ultimately a better place for him to be.
"Thankfully, it was a win-win for everybody."
The lead up to capturing Gerald
Ann Dunn, director of Oakland Animal Services, was one of the first people to start working on
