Zelda, Resident Wild Turkey Of Battery Park, Dies After Being Hit By Car

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Zelda, the famous wild turkey who called Battery Park her home for 11 years, has died, according to a published report.

The Battery Conservatory said in a news release published by Curbed.com that Zelda was recently hit by a car as she strolled down South Street near Pier 11.

Zelda first appeared in Battery Park on May 5, 20013, when garden designer Piet Outlouf and a group of volunteers planted the Gardens of Remembrance on the waterfront in honor of survivors of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks who fled through the park to safety, the release said.

After that, the Battery Conservancy ensured that Zelda made an appearance at every event, and the turkey was seen and photographed mingling among guests before going back to the trees, the release said.

Zelda last appeared at the Battery Park Luncheon on Sept. 17, the release said.

Curbed reported that Zelda was spotted all around Battery Park and the surrounding area at the southern tip of Manhattan, from the Staten Island Ferry to the area around the carousel. She also survived Superstorm Sandy two years ago "like it was no big deal," Curbed reported.

She was named after Zelda Fitzgerald, the wife of author F. Scott Fitzgerald, according to DNAInfo.

Zelda was even the subject of her own Wikipedia page.

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