Peacock freezes to tree after Chicago zoo escape

DUNDEE, Ill.  — An adventurous peacock had to be rescued by Chicago-area firefighters after he flew from his heated pen to a nearby tree and froze to a branch in subzero temperatures.

The (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald reports that Blue the peacock is recovering after Tuesday's misadventure that lasted about 90 minutes.

Blue managed to fly from his enclosure at the Randall Oaks Barnyard Zoo in Dundee and perched atop a nearby pine.

Firefighters with a ladder helped zoo staff pluck the wayward bird from the tree. Temperatures at the time were 12 degrees below zero.

Brian Mangiaracina is Randall Oaks' park and division manager. He says the whole thing was a "freakish accident" and that Blue is in quarantine.

Dundee is about 35 miles northwest of Chicago.