Peacock lands back at Bronx Zoo after fleeing habitat for nearly 24 hours
NEW YORK -- After nearly 24 hours on the streets, a peacock is now safely back home at the Bronx Zoo.
CBS2's John Dias was in West Farms on Thursday as zoo officials and onlookers kept a close eye on the bird.
"The peacock who spent last night in a tree outside the Bronx Zoo flew back onto zoo grounds under his own initiative at 11:19 a.m. We kept an eye on the bird this morning as he started to move around at dawn and fully expected him to return to the zoo as he did," the zoo said in a statement. "We had confidence in our knowledge of bird behavior to predict how he would behave if given the chance to do so without interference. We were confident in our staffs' ability to handle the situation.
Watch John Dias' report
It was a surreal sight Wednesday in the Bronx as a peacock casually strolled down East 180th Street by Vyse Avenue.
"It wasn't like in its full bloom, but it was like a blueish and it had a long tail," said Jonathan Walton, who walked by the scene of the NYPD and Bronx Zoo officials observing the tree Thursday morning.
Neighbors took video of the bird while on the phone with police. They tried to lock it up for its safety in front of a residential building. The colorful bird was too smart, though, and got out.
"It flew straight from East 180th and just flew straight up into this tree," West Farms resident Sophia Demunn told CBS2.
Demunn said she saw the whole thing.
"I didn't know that peacocks can fly that high so fast," she added. "We have raccoons, we have rats, we have skunks, we have possums, and now we have peacocks. They all come out from the Bronx Zoo at night."
PEACOCK PATROL: CBS New York’s John Dias has an update on the peacock that escaped from the Bronx Zoo!
Posted by CBS New York on Thursday, April 27, 2023
Bronx Zoo officials said they assume the peacock is theirs, since these birds are not native to the Bronx and they have hundreds of free roaming peacocks at the zoo.
For most of the night and into Thursday morning, it remained perched high up in a tree in the Krystal Garden. Then, it appeared to make its way back to the Bronx Zoo, flying to different trees and then successfully landing back home.
"Normally, you don't see that every day," said Walter Card.
On Wednesday, the bird allegedly bit someone, but officials say they're typically not violent.