Raul’s last flight of freedom! Peacock who escaped from Bronx Zoo and attacked man and then hid in a tree, flies back into its enclosure after 14 hours on the run
- The peacock, called Raul by locals, escaped from the Bronx Zoo Wednesday night
- A man, known only as Mike, claims the bird pecked him after trying to catch it
- The bird was perched high in a tree in a park in the Bronx after the attack, but eventually flew back to the zoo earlier today
A ‘vicious’ peacock who escaped from a New York City zoo, then went on a rampage and attacked a man has now returned home.
Local residents dubbed the escapee “Raul” after being horrified to see the bird launch the vicious attack and then nest in a tree in the Bronx.
Despite efforts by both the NYPD and FDNY to safely capture the bird, it remained high in the tree for most of the morning after last night’s attack.
Shortly after 11 a.m., however, Raul was making his last flight home, to the Bronx Zoo, when he flew over the park fence.
A group gathered to watch Raul burst into applause when he finally returned home.
Raul makes his last flight home after his first escape on Wednesday
A man, known only as Mike, claims he was attacked by the bird, saying, “I was outside chilling, smoking, whatever. I thought I was eavesdropping.
“I said there goes a peacock, then we all started filming it. Then it started running up the hill towards the traffic.
Raul had perched high in a tree near the zoo after the attack
Mike said he was trying to drive the bird away from traffic and to safety when he lunged at him.
He continued: “We had to try to keep the bird safe, we chased it, I pinned it next to the fence and then it tried to peck me and grabbed my pants.
“Then the m*********** flew into the tree, I didn’t know they could fly.”
Zoo officials have confirmed that the bird has returned.
The man, known only as Mike (pictured), claims the bird attacked him before fleeing
It comes after an eagle owl escaped its Central Park Zoo enclosure in February after vandals cut through its steel cage.
The owl, named Flaco, was reported missing from the exhibit and was later spotted roaming the city’s iconic Fifth Avenue shopping district.
After a two-week search, the zoo announced they would give up their efforts to recapture Flaco, who had now gone hunting in the park.