Escaped Peahen Returned to Bronx Zoo
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A female peacock that fled its Bronx Zoo pen Monday was captured on Wednesday morning.
Zoo workers caught the brightly feathered peahen in a nearby garage and returned her to the menagerie, according to the Associated Press.
The peahen's escape came about two months after an Egyptian cobra disappeared from its exhibit and was found a week later in a different section of the Reptile House.
Witnesses had reportedly spotted the green bird roaming the streets and "dodging zoo workers," according to The New York Times.
Like the celebrity serpent that attracted hordes of fascinated followers, the fugitive waterfowl has earned a Twitter account in its honor and by Wednesday morning had more than 2,300 followers.
"I woke up a bunch of people at an apartment building with my morning chirp," said an early morning tweet.
Another post emphasized that there are different names for male and female peafowl --Â a distinction often overlooked in everyday language.
"I am not a peaCOCK," the tweet said responding to a story on NBC New York that referred to the missing bird as a peacock several times.
In fact, at least two Twitter accounts have tried to capitalize on the runaway bird's fame. The more popular is @bronxzoopeacock, while @bronxzoopeahen is a fledgling feed with only a few dozen subscribers.
The zoo has more than 100 peafowl, which aren't caged. Occasionally, one of the birds wanders off, said zoo director Jim Breheny. He said veterinarians examined the peahen after she was recaptured and found her in good condition.
The brown and bright green peahen was spotted several times on city streets on Tuesday and eluded zoo workers who were tracking it.
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AOL Weird News Michael McLaughlin First Posted: 05/11/11 01:28 PM ET Updated: 11/15/11 10:52 AM ET