
Quick-Thinking Cop Captures Runaway Peacock - RickJWagner
https://bpdnews.com/news/2020/5/11/department-issued-phone-comes-in-handy-as-officers-use-mating-call-to-capture-escaped-peacock-from-franklin-park-zoo
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polartx
I guess I’ll be the wet blanket at the expense of sharing the less-common
experience of catching peacocks. As a teenager my folks owned property in NE
Texas. Finding that property plagued with all manner of insect pests, they
were convinced that a pair of peacocks would be the perfect solution; they
would eat the insects and look good doing it. Turns out peacocks go where they
want to go, unless they can’t. And it became my job on several occasions to
track them down, capture them, and bring them back. The task was easier than
you’d think (but just as annoying as you would think). Peacocks can fly only
short distances. Peacocks are lazy. Peacocks are not intelligent (they do not
seem to learn). Whenever our peacocks escaped, it was by flying over our
fence. They could be found a short flight from our property (less than 100
yards), usually in a tree. A net big enough to cover a basketball was used,
approaching from the front (more of a lateral screen than dropping over the
perched bird) invoked their flight response, jumping into the net rather than
moving backwards. The officer could have easily walked around, lazily coraling
the animal into a fenced area, pictures seem like they were common to the
area. He then called animal control (who probably brought a net). And the bird
was content to just stand there until animal control arrived (peacocks are
lazy, remember? If you’re not pursuing them they’re usually stationary).

Makes for a much less interesting story, I know. But if you’re ever in the
position of needing to catch a peacock, don’t bother with the app—that part is
pure poppycock.

~~~
kstenerud
Yeah, because all Boston cops are of course trained in peacock handling.

The mating call app was an ingenious solution to a novel problem, and it
worked like a charm.

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roel_v
On stories about catching large birds: when I was a teenager I had a job at a
DIY store, the owner of which also had a pet store, which in turn was known in
the area for selling all sorts of exotic animals (this was 20 years when this
was still allowed in Belgium).

So he had an outdoor area next to the DIY store where he sold garden statues
and stuff, and behind that there was a small paddock he used as 'overflow
storage' for animals he didn't have room for elsewhere. Usually there were
some ostriches in there, which were quite an attraction and drove part of the
business.

Anyway one day he sold an ostrich and they asked (well, told me I guess...
although to 15 year old me it was much better than stocking shelves) me to
catch it. They weren't large ostriches (I've seen much larger ones in
Australia) but it was still taller than I was at the time (1m80 maybe? maybe
there were really emus and not ostriches? I'm just going off what I was told
here).

So I put on some overalls and the plan was that my colleague would chase it
into a corner, I'd jump on it to hold it down, then he'd grab its legs, tie
them together, and we'd carry it into a horse trailer they had standing ready.
The 'chasing into a corner' part went fine, but then when I got on top of it,
it started kicking its legs (obviously) and ripped straight through the legs
of my overalls - literally kicking it straight through (mostly without hitting
my leg though, fortunately, because those feet are more like talons). So now I
was stuck to this ostrich with my overall pants, and to make it worse, it
turned out this thing was much stronger than we thought, and it literally took
me for a ride. I couldn't jump off because I was stuck to it, and I needed my
two hands to hold its neck to keep it from biting at me. So there I was,
riding around a wild ostrich with all the customers as audience, my other
colleagues laughing their asses off. So I basically had to squeeze my legs to
hold on, trying to control its wings, and sort of wrestle it to the ground
after which my colleague had the unenviable task to get hold of its feet.

In reality it can't have taken us more than a few minutes, but it felt like
half an hour, and I came out quite scratched (but with an applause from our
'audience' so the scratches didn't matter).

Moral of the story, I guess, is that birds can be much stronger than you
think, and overall I'd recommend against tackling ostriches/emus head on. So
good thinking to the guy in the OP.

~~~
tecleandor
Oh shit! Ostriches are really dangerous, I wouldn't volunteer for capturing
one taller than 1m or so...

~~~
solarengineer
"These legs can also be formidable weapons. Ostrich kicks can kill a human or
a potential predator like a lion. Each two-toed foot has a long, sharp claw."
[0]

[0]
[https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/o/ostrich/](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/o/ostrich/)

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legerdemain
While it seems that a peacock shouldn't be that hard to deal with, being a
relatively docile, flight-averse bird of moderate size, it and birds of
similar stature can definitely mangle human hands and deliver lacerations that
require stitches and may get infected.

Here, for example, is some photographic footage of a Canada goose successfully
attacking a medium-sized teenage boy: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lhw-
chHHpFg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lhw-chHHpFg)

~~~
gruez
>Here, for example, is some photographic footage of a Canada goose
successfully attacking a medium-sized teenage boy

I think people wildly overestimate how much damage a bird can do to a human.
In the example you've given, it looks like the only reason he was "losing" was
because he wasn't willing to attack the bird in retaliation, presumably
because nobody wants to be the guy caught on camera beating up wildlife. [cost
of getting "attacked" by a bird and being temporarily embarrassed] < [cost of
being seen beating up a bird]

If push comes to shove, I'd imagine these birds can be effectively fended off
by simply kicking them. The risk of injury should be low because their mouths
aren't big enough to bite human legs, and if you're wearing pants you have
complete protection from scratches/bites. If you're feeling bold you can even
try something like this:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br0bDZmNsW8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br0bDZmNsW8).

~~~
hodgesrm
Geese can be nasty. There's a famous story in Livy about how they helped
defend the Capitoline fortress in Rome from besieging Gauls who had defeated
the Romans on the Allia around 390 BC. [1] It made an impression on the Romans
at least, who were not easily impressed but also enjoyed a good yarn.

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Allia#Account_of...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Allia#Account_of_Livy)

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sergers
I live near this. [https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/running-afoul-of-
th...](https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/running-afoul-of-the-
neighbours-almost-half-the-feral-peacocks-and-peahens-in-surreys-sullivan-
heights-have-been-captured-and-relocated)

About 30 blocks away, years ago there was a peacock farm that shut down.

I fairly far away, but every morning we have the neighborhood peacock walking
in front of house, coming to the front door.

Supposedly there was a big capture effort, but this last month I see 2 extra
babies.

They are beautiful to look at, but they are a nuisance.

Shitting all over the place (they take big bird shits). Blocking traffic,
struts down middle of 1 lane pathway.(and new neighbours/visitors stopping to
take pics

And causing damage to vehicles, just last week a male was tripping out pecking
neighbors car denting it.

Always coming to your car or door for food.

I have seen one stop the roof of the house across the street (3 stories).

Always squawking.

Gawd I hate peacocks

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ultimoo
I'll admit this is not the kind of content I typically encounter here. Hn
never fails to amaze me!

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acomjean
My mom has a bunch of stuffed bird that have "accurate" sounds when you
squeeze them. She has a Cardinal, which was apparently loud enough when played
through a screen window to aggitate a real male cardinal which showed up
looking for a rival based on the sound.

[https://shop.wildrepublic.com/collections/audubon-
birds/prod...](https://shop.wildrepublic.com/collections/audubon-
birds/products/audubon-ii-northern-cardinal-stuffed-
animal-5-class?variant=19488243482683)

~~~
CerealFounder
I just picture a cardinal banging on your moms window saying "hey, I heard
you're talking shit"and pacing

nice work.

~~~
roel_v
"wanna take this outside bruv?"

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unityByFreedom
What about the programmer who forsaw this scenario? No love..

... jk

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ThePhysicist
If you're in NY you can see some free-roaming peacocks near St. John's
Cathedral in Harlem: [https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-peace-fountain-
at-ca...](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-peace-fountain-at-cathedral-
of-st-john-the-divine-new-york-new-york)

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dragosmocrii
Ever went to a zoo that has roosters? Play a video on youtube of a rooster
cockadoodling for 5 seconds, and then they go on on, and on. It's a lot of
fun, and eventually annoying. Never too old for this kind of stuff xD

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skookum-skuad
In the SF Bay Area, you are (or were) able to see peacocks roaming about the
Picchetti Winery near Cupertino.

And I would be careful around these types of birds because they are equipped
similarly to cassowaries: they can kick to kill.

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skwb
Hah! I heard about this on last weeks Wait Wait Don't tell me!

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russdill
Arcadia is Los Angeles just has feral peacocks that roam the streets. It's
quite a site if you aren't expecting it.

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smprather2
There's an app for that.

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99chrisbard
Give that cop a medal for smart thinking!

~~~
smabie
I think you mean smahht tinkin

