2 peacocks roaming Lloydminster after escaping breeder 12 days ago

A peacock, one of two missing from breeder Rob Hofer's pride, walks on a street in Lloydminster on April 17, 2024. (Credit: Autumn Kopeck)

Lloydminster residents are on the lookout for two peacocks named "Big Blue" and "No Toes."

Big Blue has been spotted since the pair of males went missing on April 6 but No Toes' whereabouts is a mystery.

They broke free of their cages that day as they were being unloaded at a rare and exotic sale.

"(The sale worker) had his back turned and two of them jumped up and broke the zip lock things on the cage and flew out. Well, he had his hands full there so they off and went towards the Lloydminster graveyard and golf course," owner and breeder Rob Hofer told CTV News Edmonton on Thursday.

"Oh well," he recalled thinking, "I guess the commission isn't going to the exhibition on those two."

• Sign up for breaking news alerts from CTV News Edmonton, right at your fingertips

Having raised peacocks since about 2010, Hofer calls himself a hobbyist.

At one point, his pride grew to 22, so he decided to sell some of the males.

Big Blue and No Toes were about five years old and could have fetched about $300 each. Females go for around $150, he said.

"Now they're just all over the place, I guess," Hofer said.

"Animal control did phone me a couple of days ago and she said, wonder if I could go collect my peacock? I said, 'I don't even know where they are.'"

But Big Blue's movement is haphazardly being tracked online by community members. Local Facebook users have published proof of life three times since Tuesday.

"They're very invested in finding the peacocks and updating their locations to our pure joy and entertainment," Hofer's daughter, Brandi, said.

"People are so concerned and it's very sweet and we're grateful that they are."

Peacocks can fly high and sleep in tall trees at night. Hofer described the animals as smart and very cautious and, therefore, difficult to catch. 

However, Hofer said it would be possible to trap them in a shed and that he would help anyone who found them.

Big Blue and No Toes are also OK in the current temperatures, Hofer added.  

The family can be contacted through Facebook. Brandi is offering her art as a prize to anyone who helps.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa