Escaped peahen netted by radio crew

The escaped peahen that has been evading capture in north Edmonton since last weekend has been netted.

A DJ and a director from an Edmonton radio show managed to get a net over the bird Thursday morning, said Keith Scott, the co-ordinator of the city's animal control department.

Animal control officers have taken charge of the bird and brought it to the city pound.

The bird escaped from another home in the neighbourhood and has been the subject of a series of amateur capture strategies, from bedsheets to bare hands.

On Wednesday, animal control officers were still preparing their gearwhen volunteers scared the bird out of the window well, where it was huddling for warmth, to a rooftop too slippery for officers to attempt a capture.

The owner has been given a $500 ticket for having a prohibited animal in the city.

The two men who caught the bird on a homeowner's roofare also facing a fine for trespassing, following a complaint from someone in the neighbourhood.

Dylan Wowchuk and Robbie Gibson, who work on the morning radio show for 91.7 The Bounce, were interviewed in the back of a police cruiser following the incident.

"Someone complained that we were just up on roofs. [I'm] not sure if they complained just because they saw us up on a roof, or if they complained because they saw us going after the peahen," said Wowchuk.

"[The officer] let us know that it's not a criminal charge, so that's good, right? It's just a fine, a $287 trespassing fine if the homeowner decides to press charges."

"Small price to pay for a safe bird and a happy community," he said.

The homeowner was not home at the time.

Scott said he was happy to have the bird safely caught, but was less satisfied by the approach.

"We want to do this safely, and we have the tools and wish the public would let us do our job," he said.