Spirit Island in Maligne Lake in Jasper National Park (Canadian Press/Tim Cook)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

Peacock on the lam in Jasper euthanized

Jul 9, 2022 | 9:49 AM

A peacock on the loose for days in the western Alberta mountain town of Jasper has been euthanized.

Parks Canada says its staff and town residents first saw the domestic peafowl last Saturday.

The agency has said it isn’t aware of how the peacock came to Jasper National Park or whether it was accidentally or deliberately released.

Parks Canada says it consulted with experts outside the agency and, after six days of trying to capture and remove the peacock from the area, a decision was made to euthanize it on Thursday.

The agency says the release of foreign species and domestic animals into the national park is illegal and poses potential unintended consequences for the ecological integrity of the park.

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It says the peacock was euthanized because the risk of introducing avian disease and parasites to other natural wildlife in the park was too great to allow the bird to remain in the area.