Escaped peacock, named Raul, returned to Bronx Zoo

Escaped peacock returned to Bronx Zoo

A peacock is back home safe and sound after a wild escape from the Bronx Zoo on Wednesday evening.

BRONX - An escaped peacock has been returned to the Bronx Zoo safe and sound Thursday after a wild journey around the Bronx on Wednesday.

Police responded to reports of a peacock on the run between Vice Avenue and East 180th Street around 8 p.m. Wednesday night.

Raul, the peacock, was named by Bronx locals and is one of the hundreds of free-roaming peacocks that live at the Bronx Zoo.

A few good Samaritans spotted the bird and attempted to keep it safe, off the street.

Police said that the peacock bit a man, only identified as Mike, and then fled the scene. The man was not seriously injured and refused medical attention.

According to animal experts, Raul's taste of the streets of New York City is perfectly normal animal behavior.

"It was probably a male that got away, looking for a territory to attract females back to his single room apartment," said Dr. Robert DeCandido, a biologist and bird expert.

"We had confidence in our knowledge of bird behavior to predict how he would behave if given the chance to do so without interference," The Bronx Zoo said in a statement. "We were confident in our staff's ability to handle the situation."

Live Peacock Chase

A man filmed the chase of a peacock that escaped from the Bronx Zoo. Courtesy: Sophia Demunn

George Rodriguez, whose father worked at the Bronx Zoo for more than 30 years, said this isn't uncommon, "they walk the streets here, they hang out with everybody else," Rodriguez said.

People who live in the neighborhood say it is not uncommon to see, since the peacocks have free-range when they're at the zoo.