On Sunday afternoon, a peahen travelling from Yellowknife to Cold Lake, Alberta saw a literal window of opportunity.
Eight peafowl had just begun an arduous 16-hour journey when a window of their horse trailer slid open.
Now, the peahen apparently concluded, was her chance to pursue a new adventure. The bird flew out of the trailer somewhere between Yellowknife and Behchokǫ̀, likely in the Boundary Creek area, said owner Matt Vincent.
The peafowl were being moved to Cold Lake to spend their summer on a farm with larger acreage.
The driver of the truck, Cody Bailey, pulled over to check on the birds when he heard some commotion in the trailer. When he took a look inside, he noticed he was one peafowl short.
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Bailey spent 45 minutes searching for the bird before he started driving again for the sake of the rest of the flock, according to his mother, Kim Bailey.
She had posted to Facebook about the incident, asking for people to keep an eye out.
Vincent owns a hobby farm in Yellowknife where he raises peafowl, turkeys, ducks, geese, miniature goats and miniature sheep.
He said while some people have promised to watch for the missing bird, he has little hope of seeing her again.
“There’s a few people looking for them, but they can fly and they’re full-grown so, realistically, the chances of actually catching them are probably slim to none,” said Vincent.
He is offering a $100 reward for the safe return of the peahen. Anyone who spots the missing bird can get in touch with him at 867-446-7883.
