York Town News
Golden pheasant eludes police
By Melissa Wood
CAPE NEDDICK - Last Wednesday, a Cape Neddick Road resident heard a strange sound and when he looked outside, he saw an exotic looking bird perched in a tree in his yard.
He contacted the York Police Department, and Animal Control Officer Tom Porter responded to the home, but the bird, a golden pheasant that had escaped from York's Wild Kingdom about three weeks ago, got away - once again.
Police have received three calls from the Cape Neddick Road and Riverview Road area so far about the brightly colored pheasant, but Porter said there isn't much they can do to capture a wild animal that doesn't want to be caught.
"It just won't have anything to do with us," said Porter, who added that although the bird is not a native species it is not harmful to the area's environment.
He said the bird isn't much different from local species of pheasants, except it has a bright yellow color, making it very noticeable to the residents who have caught a glimpse.
"It's not your average pheasant, that's for sure," he said.
Porter said the bird doesn't have a name and explained that York's Wild Kingdom has a policy of not naming any of their animals because they don't want people to think of wild animals as pets. He said that because the bird is not particularly expensive - they are often displayed at county fairs - to his knowledge the zoo isn't doing anything to try and recapture it.
"I think they go for about 50 bucks," said Porter, who said that means the bird might be hanging around Cape Neddick until it eventually dies of natural causes.
Porter said when he arrived at the Cape Neddick Road residence on June 6, a group of about a half dozen neighbors were talking about what to do about the bird loose in their backyards.
"One woman was going to set up feeding stations and throw a blanket over it," said Porter. "Apparently she hasn't been successful either."
