Peahen capture fouled by amateurs

The peahen on the loosein north Edmonton is still evading capture, but animal control officers say it'sthefreelance fowl huntersthey're most worried about.

Officers showed up in the Beaumaris neighbourhood around 154th Avenue and 101st Street again Wednesday afternoon, where the bird was huddled on a windowsill in sub-zero temperatures.

Before the animal control team could get prepared, two bystanders tried to catch the bird with a sheet. It eluded that effort and flew onto a fence, and then launched itself onto a roof.

"It is really frustrating," said Keith Scott, the co-ordinator of the city's animal control department. "Now we have to spend resources to try and protect citizens from doing what they did yesterday, climbing on roofs to try and do this on a bet."

The bird ended up on a slippery roof, where safety would be an issue if the control officers tried to follow.

"The only other option I have now is to try and bait and trap it again," said Scott. "And see if it will come down to a cage or something warm."

Scott urged anyone who sees the bird on the ground to immediately call the city.Before leaving, the crew set up a cage covered with branches and baited with feed pellets in a backyard .

"Obviously the bird wants to come down. We just have to be here when it comes down," said Scott. "We have the nets, we have all the equipment when it's on the ground to try and do this."

The owner of the tropical bird has been fined $500 for having a prohibited animal in the city.