Turkey earns reprieve from the Christmas dinner table

Wednesday 21st December 2011, 10:59AM GMT.

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Is this Shropshire’s luckiest turkey? This bird – aptly named Lucky – has been spared a place on the dinner table after being taken in at a Telford rescue centre.

The male turkey was rescued a couple of weeks ago by Steve Rowlands from Tropical Inc in Birmingham, and is now being cared for at Lakeside Plant Centre and animal rescue farm in Priorslee.

“I don’t know if he had a name before – I call him Lucky,” said Steve Evans, who owns the centre. “The man who rescued him had two but couldn’t keep them together because they were both males.

Meet Lucky’s unusual new friends in our gallery to your right

“It’s an unusual one at this time of year because obviously most turkeys are destined for something else.

“It will stay here now and we have been offered a couple of females as well, so in the spring he will have some companions.”

Mr Evans added that the centre had room for more female turkeys, but that the birds don’t generally make good pets.

He said: “The males in particular can be very aggressive. This one can be, but most of the time he’s fine. He’s OK with me but most of the staff don’t go near too near him very often.”

View more: Telford news.