A ''monster'' turkey is roaming the streets of St Clair and chasing people at a popular South Dunedin walking spot.
Martin Montgomery, of St Clair, first encountered the turkey when he was running up the Jacobs Ladder steps about a month ago.
''He jumped out at me and chased me in the dark.
''I didn't know what it was. It was huge though so I initially thought it was a dog.''
Two weeks later the bird was in his driveway.
''I just pulled up in my car and when I got out I dropped everything and ran because he was going to go at me.''
He had named the bird ''Elliot'' because ''he looks like an Elliot''. On social media some people had named it ''Tom Turkey''.
The bird had been seen in Aberdeen Rd, Earls Rd, Lock St, Jacobs Ladder, Valpy St and Norfolk St in St Clair, as well as in neighbouring St Kilda.
Dunedin city councillor Conrad Stedman was also chased by the turkey on Jacobs Ladder.
''I had to duck out of the way. It was trying to take me out.
''It's a monster of a bird.''
A St Clair resident said he noticed the turkey a month ago.
The ''really big bird'' would not fit in his oven, so the resident had made attempts on social media to find someone willing to rehome it.
''It's a real survivor though,'' he said.
''It's survived on its own for all this time.''
Attempts to catch the bird had been unsuccessful.
The bird did not come under Dunedin City Council environmental health and animal services control because no reports of disruption or nuisance had been reported, environmental health and animal services manager Ros MacGill said.
Otago SPCA executive officer Sophie McSkimming said the organisation would intervene if the bird became sick or injured.
