Runaway peahen causes a stir in Crowsnest Pass

A mischievous peahen is on the loose and entertaining residents of Crowsnest Pass, Alta., with her shenanigans.

Her owners, Carmen and Troy Linderman, live on acreage in east Hillcrest. They've been trying to bring the elusive bird home through a variety of techniques but haven't had any success so far.

"She is very elusive and very sneaky," Carmen said in a conversation on the Calgary Eyeopener.

"She's kind of like a ninja peacock … she [does] not want to be caught."

Carmen added that the grey-and-white bird, known as Coocookachew, left home a couple of weeks ago.

"It's her time to lay eggs," Carmen said. "So I thought maybe she might be under a tree or hiding in the long grass laying eggs. So I wasn't really too concerned about it."

Things took a slightly dramatic turn when Carmen received a phone call from a stranger who told her they had spotted the runaway peahen in Hillcrest, about two kilometres from her home.

The news came as a bit of a surprise for Troy and Carmen, who didn't expect Coocookachew to run away.

Community involvement

"I have no idea [why]," Carmen said. "She's got the life made here, that's for sure.… I think [she] just went on a walkabout and [is] enjoying her freedom."

Carmen recently asked the local community to help by posting hilarious updates and sharing pictures of the bird in a Facebook group, leading to unexpected interest in the runaway pet.

"She's got the whole community trying to help and trying to spot this peahen and leaving their garage doors open. It's pretty funny," Troy said.

"I don't know how long this is going to go on, but it's quite an event for the community." 

According to Carmen, Coocookachew is an unusually smart peahen who has always been independent.

When the peahen first arrived at the Linderman residence, she would arrange all the toys that were left out in the front yard by the kids.

"She would go and get them and organize them into a line, which is very, very odd behaviour," Carmen said. "I've never seen a bird do anything like that."

LISTEN | Carmen Linderman talks about her runaway peahen:

Coocookachew knows how to avoid being captured. Troy and his son have tried multiple times to catch her with fishnets, but she runs away as soon as she spots them and hides in the bushes.

The runaway peahen's absence has adversely affected the Lindermans' peacock, Kevin, who has prematurely lost his colourful feathers.

"The peacocks lose their tail feathers every year, but that usually doesn't happen until late in the fall," Carmen said. 

"Within two days of her going missing, all of his … feathers fell out. So I think he's a little stressed about it."

'She doesn't want to come home yet'

The couple is now planning to use a specific trap to try to capture Coocookachew.

"It's like a dog trap, I guess, a pressure trap. So we'll put her food and stuff in the trap," Carmen said. "She'll go in there, fingers crossed."

While the entire ordeal is slightly frustrating for Carmen, members of the local community remain amused by the latest developments and are doing their best to spot the bird.

Troy isn't sure whether he'll be able to catch Coocookachew but he's going to try.

"She doesn't want to come home yet," he said. "She's having a good vacation, and she may just end up a resident of Hillcrest from what the way things are going."