Editor’s note: Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife post the following on its Facebook page Monday, April 1. 

For fifty years wild turkeys have been Vermont’s biggest wildlife restoration success, but that’s about to change. 

We’re proud to announce that last summer our Pleistocene rewilding biologists released seventeen breeding pairs of Ostriches up at Victory Basin Wildlife Management Area. This will help recreate the ecological conditions that likely occurred there roughly 15,000 years ago when the last terror birds and other Pleistocene megafauna still roamed the North American landscape. 

Our biologists are pleased to report that the Ostriches have flourished. Their luxurious plumage and long legs helped them survive our NEK winter and on April 1st this year our team was thrilled to document Vermont’s first wild Ostrich eggs!

Belated April Fools!