SAGINAW TOWNSHIP, MI — A peacock on the lam has proven to be a tough bird to crack for Saginaw County Animal Care and Control Center officers.
Officials on Monday, June 3, reported a student found the peacock during his drive to Valley Lutheran High School, where the animal then fled into the surrounding Saginaw Township neighborhood.
One day later, the peacock remains on the loose despite animal control officers nearly capturing it near the Bay Road commercial district on the morning of Tuesday, June 4, said Rachel Horton, the animal shelter’s director.
“He is in a wooded area, and surprisingly agile and fast,” Horton said. “He flies pretty gracefully.”
She said the peacock last was spotted in a wooded area behind the KFC restaurant on Bay near Schust.
“(Animal control officers) returned from the adventure with a few scratches and tree-climbing experience that we may need to train on in the future,” Horton said.
The experience also inspired Horton and her staff to add a $150 animal capture net to the center’s Amazon wish list, available on the Saginaw County website.
The search for the wayward peacock galvanized members of the community, leading to citizens helping to search for the feathery fugitive as well as social media activity reportedly showing sightings of the animal.
“We have many helpful citizens attempting to capture him,” Horton said.
She said the owner of the peacock remains a mystery to her staff.
Desiree Sage, an animal control officer with the Saginaw County Animal Care and Control Center, provided this photo of a loose peacock eluding capture in Saginaw Township on Tuesday, June 4.The Saginaw News/MLive.com
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