Pete the peacock flew the coop on his first night in Kingsbrae Garden, on the southern shores of New Brunswick. That was about two months ago 鈥� and it鈥檚 been a wild goose chase ever since.

The fowl arrived June 16 in the town of Saint Andrews and was placed in quarantine before the one-year-old peacock could be introduced to others.

鈥淭he following morning 鈥� Saturday morning 鈥� the cage was empty,鈥� said Brad Henderson, managing director of Kingsbrae Garden, a public garden that describes itself on its website as a 鈥渕ulti-award-winning, 27-acre horticultural masterpiece.鈥�

Staff at the garden 鈥渢hought the worst,鈥� Henderson said Monday in an interview, because the area has a fox on the loose. But before garden authorities could even get the word out about the bird on the lam, they began getting calls about a peacock in the neighbourhood.

鈥淚t gave us hope that the peacock has survived, but unfortunately, for the last month we haven鈥檛 heard a single thing. No one has seen a peacock. No one鈥檚 reporting a peacock,鈥� Henderson said.

鈥淪o, we don鈥檛 know what to think anymore.鈥�

A little digging by garden staff revealed a hole by Pete鈥檚 enclosure that was burrowed from the outside 鈥� meaning something could have got in. But other than a few stray feathers, there was nothing 鈥渙verly concerning鈥� 鈥� like blood 鈥� so it鈥檚 possible that the bird is alive, Henderson said.

鈥淭here is like a branch and stuff that the peacock could get up on,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o, what we were hoping is that indeed a fox did dig in, but the peacock jumped up where the fox couldn鈥檛 get him and then the fox left. The bird just went out the same hole.鈥�

Garden authorities put out a note on Facebook on June 21 asking people to contact them if they see a peacock.

鈥淚f you spot a random peacock in or around town, chances are it鈥檚 ours,鈥� the post said. 鈥淲e have a brand new one that doesn鈥檛 know where 鈥榟ome鈥� is. Please reach out if you see it!鈥�

About two weeks after Pete went missing, a peacock was seen hanging out in a tree in Fredericton, about an hour-and-a-half drive away from Saint Andrews. Garden authorities checked out the photo and determined by the head feathers that it wasn鈥檛 Pete.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what the chances of having two peacocks roaming around freely in New Brunswick are, but that鈥檚 what happened to us,鈥� Henderson said with a laugh.

Nick Lund, a network manager for Maine Audubon, described peacocks 鈥� India鈥檚 official bird 鈥� as being 鈥減retty hardy.鈥�

The Indian peafowl, as they are officially known, are regular escapees or wanderers from places where they are kept domestically or as pets, he said in an email.

鈥淭hey aren鈥檛 likely to fly very far and prefer to walk. It鈥檚 unlikely that the bird has gone very far, as they don鈥檛 typically migrate. In most places 鈥� like this garden, I suspect 鈥� they鈥檙e often not caged or restrained because they don鈥檛 tend to wander,鈥� Lund said.

鈥淭he bird will be fine outside until the winter.鈥�

The garden has two other peacocks and three peahens in residence. About six years ago, a peacock named Nelson bolted from the property and landed in a neighbourhood golf course.

鈥淭he hard part is catching them, right?鈥� Henderson said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not the easiest thing to catch. They鈥檙e pretty quick 鈥� pretty smart. But we were able to eventually catch him.鈥�

Since then, he said garden staff have spent more time with Nelson, letting him know that food is easily available with them. The bird hasn鈥檛 left since.

Henderson said the peacocks鈥� wings are not clipped and the birds are free to roam. Usually, they choose to stay in the garden because it鈥檚 relatively safe 鈥� except for the pesky fox. The garden is also home to ducks and alpacas, all of which are now put safely away in enclosures every night so they don鈥檛 become fox food.

鈥淚 call him a nuisance,鈥� he said of the fox. 鈥淲e hope he moves along his way and leaves the garden, or you know, goes back out into the woods into the countryside.鈥�

Since his escape, Pete has managed to evade cameras and attention 鈥� although there have been a number of false alarms.

鈥淪omebody called us to say that they had seen the peacock. When we went, it was a turkey. A wild turkey,鈥� he said.

鈥淎nd someone said they heard it in their backyard and when we went to their backyard, it was a frog.鈥�

Henderson is hopeful Pete is flourishing wherever he is and getting to eat plenty of his favourite berries, leaves and insects.

鈥淗e could literally be anywhere in the entire province,鈥� he said. 鈥淪aint Andrews is on the coast of Maine 鈥� so maybe even internationally.鈥�

鈥擧ina Alam, The Canadian Press

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