Bird sightings are not uncommon in large cities in North America, but one neighbourhood in Toronto is getting quite an eye-full. Late last week, a colourful, four-foot-tall peacock flew the coop and has been on the loose ever since! Here’s what you need to know and why you should call a animal service professional to save your home. It could happen to you!
Here’s what we know:
- This peacock was NOT happy being held at the High Park Zoo in Toronto for visitors to enjoy;
- Last Friday, the culprit broke loose from it’s enclosure;
- It was the second time the bird attempted to leave its humble abode, only it was actually successful;
- The peacock escaped a team of animal services who worked for hours trying to capture him.
Feisty fella, isn’t he?
Side note: maybe the zoo should contact one of our professional fencing contractors to build a superior gate to keep remaining animals from escaping!
Where he went
Upon escaping from the zoo, the peacock headed to Roncesvalles, going on a hopping spree and jumping from roof to roof!
This lucky gentleman had a birds-eye view of the peacock and managed to get about 5 minutes of footage of the beautiful bird jumping from house to house before it disappeared for good.
Who’s Investigating?
Toronto Animal Services has been tasked with the job of capturing the peacock and safely returning it to its home at the High Park Zoo. Unfortunately, the stout bird has yet to be captured and the city is appealing to city residents, asking the public to call 311 if anyone sees the creature.
The peacock’s on Twitter
Now this is social media at its best. A self-appointed source established a parody Twitter account called “Toronto Peacock” not long after news broke. The account has over 1,500 followers. Here’s a gallery of the best tweets released from the account:
What to do if you spot an animal on the loose
Source: Twitter
It’s an unfortunate circumstance, but homeowners have awoken to find unwanted house guests perched in their backyards. Whether it’s a peacock or a feline, there are certain precautions you should take when reporting an incident to your city’s animal services department:
- Reach out to your local animal services department immediately and provide them with as much information as possible.
- If the animal is on a privately-owned property, provide the correct address.
- Remain calm and don’t get near the animal. Don’t put yourself in harms way and try to capture it yourself. This should be left to the professionals who are properly trained to act in these situations.
Another alternative to consider is reaching out to one of our pest control and animal service professionals. They’re trained in the field of safely capturing animals and can get the job done efficiently.
Ward off animals with a proper fence
This unruly peacock wasn’t the first animal to be on the loose in the city and it won’t be the last. In fact, this is a quite common scenario that can happen anywhere around the world.
Here’s a list of common animals that homeowners have spotted on their properties. Please note: this list varies by city!
- Deer. This animal probably tops the list for homeowners. Why? They can jump really high and are often lurking in areas with lots of greenery. What city doesn’t have that? If you live in an area that’s populated with deer, your home will require a high, angled fence to deter them.
- Coyote. If you have a dog or cat that you send outside in your backyard, be weary of sending it outdoors without a fence, for coyotes can easily find a way onto your property. An electric fence with electric wire on top should do the trick.
- Bear. Yikes! Imagine waking up to find a bear on your property. While they can easily maul through a fence, laying chicken wire around the perimeter of a fence is a good solution. They’ll steer clear of your property since they don’t like walking over chicken wire.
This brave homeowner took the liberty of going outside into his backyard to videotape a deer on his property. Looks like the fence was just high enough!
Defend the walls of your home with the help of a fencing contractor listed in our database, complete with image galleries and customer reviews. If that’s not enough to ward off unwanted guests, consider calling an animal service professional for help!
