A goat and a peacock took local police on two wild rides this April Fool’s Day.
Officer Turner with the Irving Police Department fielded two unusual calls back-to-back on April 1, putting him on the trail of atypical “perps” — one hooved and the other feathered.
“We thought we were getting pranked,” IPD wrote in a social media post alongside two photos of Officer Turner with the two critters.
IPD later released Officer Turner’s bodycam footage of the incidents to the delight of viewers.
The first call fielded around noon involved a goat that had fallen off a trailer and ended up running loose along Highway 183, which the authorities shut down temporarily. Officer Turner found the goat hiding beneath a trailer and tried to lure her out with some french fries from a motorist. However, the goat ignored the enticing treat and dashed out, heading for the Irving Market Center.
Officer Turner and others continued to chase the goat on foot. She ran through the parking lots, eventually taking cover in some bushes where they could wrangle her with some rope and get her to Dallas County authorities for safekeeping in their livestock setup.
“She gave everyone a run for their money that day,” Brittany Polk, a senior officer at Irving Animal Services, told NBC 5 DFW.
Some 15 minutes later, Officer Turner fielded another animal-related call. This time, a wild peacock led police on a chase through a residential neighborhood. It was eventually captured by Officer Turner and a resident in the latter’s backyard.
The vibrantly colored bird is receiving care for a broken leg at a wildlife rehabilitation clinic in Southlake.
Last April, Monday morning rush hour motorists reported another “animal” sighting on the George Bush Tollway, as covered by The Dallas Express. The Plano Animal Shelter received several calls about an alligator on the road, but it ended up being a realistic-looking plastic toy.
You never know what you’re going to see on your morning commute! 🐊 😂 See ‘ya later, alligator? After a while crocodile! pic.twitter.com/dZcJ2dlHCM
— City of Plano (@cityofplanotx) April 4, 2023
