Wandering Annapolis Peacock Escapes Farm, Evades Capture
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- The search is on. A female peacock, known as a peahen, wandering Anne Arundel County is evading capture.
Tracey Leong explains why the owner is so concerned.
Animal Control says this is a very uncommon call, but the biggest concern right now is the peacock's safety.
A male peacock sends out his mating call -- one that won't be answered any time soon.
"She's been gone almost about a month and a half. I think the longer she's gone, it appears she's probably not going to be coming home," said Richard Bradshaw, who owns Hidden View Farm.
Bradshaw says one of his peacocks was killed last month, which scared his female peacock away.
This is a photo of her, taken when she flew over the Herald Harbor. Some neighbors report spotting it.
Animal Control says the bird's behavior is not surprising.
"If the animal felt in fear in its location, flight, especially for a bird that can fly, is a pretty frequent way for it to handle the situation," said Robin Catlett, Anne Arundel County Animal Control.
A major concern is the longer the female peacock is away, she won't be able to find her male peacock, which is one of her mates -- meaning, she could get more confused and have a difficult time finding her way home.
"She hears the mating call of the peacocks here on the farm, but she doesn't know how to find her way back," said Bradshaw.
Another reason Bradshaw thinks the animal hasn't returned is because people keep feeding her, enticing her to stay away and possibly exposing the bird to other dangers.
"Coming into contact with poison or something like that that's out in the world it's not used to being in, or cars, unfortunately," said Catlett.
Animal Control says if you do see the bird, do not approach it. Give them a call and they'll send out a trap.
The owner of the bird could face a fine if the peacock needs to be captured by Animal Control or damages property.