Peacock Evades Northwood Owner After Daring Escape

The antics of a peacock who ran away from home in an attempt to find love have kept residents in the Northwood area entertained lately.

Theresa LaBrecque is the owner of Pharaoh the Peacock, who lives at The Fairy Farm on Old Mountain Road in Northwood.

LaBrecque thinks Pharaoh took off earlier this month to try and find a mate because he is 12 to 13 years old and has never done anything like this during the time she has owned him.

"I think what happened is that last year, and all of these other years, I have had a peahen on board. But last year, the peahen got killed. I think the boys didn't even notice she was missing until now because it's spring and they want to mate," LaBrecque said.

Pharaoh has been spotted numerous times along Route 4 in Northwood. Several sightings have occurred along Garland Road in nearby Nottingham.

LaBrecque has enlisted the help of her friend, Michael Magoon, a marketing and business communications program coordinator at Manchester Community College, to help her. They have tried to find a peahen for Pharaoh, but the cheapest one they could locate cost $1,300.

They have also spent numerous hours trying to find Pharaoh. They even put together a Facebook page for him.

"We're determined. We're determined to find him. It's been an adventure. Every day we are out and about looking for him," Magoon said.

Magoon said the story of this escape artist on the loose has brought the community together. A local school teacher taught their students about peafowl and one child asked Magoon and LaBrecque if there would be a book coming out about Pharaoh's adventure.

Here are some interesting facts about peacocks:

-Their natural habitat is warm and tropical but they can safely live outdoors if the temperatures stay above freezing. The heatwave that we're about to experience this weekend is a good turn of events for our runaway hero.

-As far as their appetite, peacocks will primarily eat seeds, fruits and insects.

-Peacocks do not run particularly fast and only have a top speed of about 10 miles an hour. They can fly, however, and like to perch on rooftops from time to time.

-Male peacocks have been known to be aggressive so, if you see Pharaoh, the best thing to do is email LaBrecque and Magoon at pharaohpeacock@gmail.com or call 603-608-5444.

Contact Managing News Editor Kimberley Haas at Kimberley.Haas@townsquaremedia.com.