A pair of purloined peacocks are safe at home after being stolen in the night from the parking lot of a roadside hotel in central Alberta.

Pete and Hilda — the peacock and peahen — were being transported inside a pickup truck when it was stolen Sunday in Stony Plain, Alta., about 40 kilometres west of Edmonton. The thief also took a livestock trailer carrying a horse named Spirit and a donkey named Badonkadonk.

The larger animals were found within hours, dumped along a rural range road a few kilometres from the hotel. But the search for the peafowl continued for days with police issuing a series of public notices about the missing birds.

Alberta RCMP told CBC News the birds were found Tuesday in a roadside ditch near Duffield, Alta., about 65 kilometres west of Edmonton. The family that spotted them quickly realized the birds were being sought by police.

Owner Dawn Condon said she is ecstatic that her beloved birds made it back to her. She drove through the night to retrieve them from their rescuers.

“They’re a little bit roughed up, but they look no worse for the wear considering what they have gone through,” she said.”And I’m sure if they could talk, they’d have some stories to tell.

“I have never, in my life, cried happy tears but I did last night.”

‘Shaken up’

Jodey Way and her partner William Schulting had been transporting the birds from Condon’s farm to Prince George, B.C., where she lives. Way is Condon’s niece.

“They’re shaken up and everything, but they’re OK,” Way said. 

In an interview Wednesday, Way said the breeding pair was returned to her family late Tuesday night after they got a call from the family that found them, still inside their crate. 

Way said her aunt met with bird rescuers at around 10 p.m in Smokey Lake, Alta., about 110 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.

Wary of a potential scam, the aunt asked RCMP to accompany her to the late-night meeting, Way said.

But the birds were the real deal, Way said.

“My auntie, she is so relieved,” Way said. “The peacocks have been with my aunt their whole life.”

Way said her aunt has been struggling to care for her animals due to illness in the family. 

En route to B.C., the couple stayed overnight in Stony Plain, where their room had a view of the truck and the animals on board, Way said.

They fed and watered the animals around midnight and checked in on them one last time around 2 a.m., Way said. 

In the morning, she looked out the window and realized the truck and trailer were gone.

“I was shocked,” she said. “We were both shocked that somebody would steal the trailer with animals inside.” 

 Schulting said he had a sinking feeling in his chest.

“The truck is a truck but the animals I mean, I like the donkey, I like the horse, it’s a lot easier to replace a truck.” 

‘Good protectors’

Way said her aunt adopted the peacocks about two years ago to help protect her flock of chickens and guinea fowl against predators.

With a shrill call that can carry for long distances, the large animals are known as effective guard birds. 

“They’re kind of like a hobby pet,” she said. “But they’re good at protecting their chickens or whatever you have them out with. They’re just good protectors.”

Way will keep the horse and donkey, while her mother will eventually get the peacocks once they’ve fully recovered from their ordeal. 

The investigation into the theft continues, RCMP said Wednesday. They have released surveillance images of the thief and have asked the public to be on the lookout for a white 2005 Ford F350 truck. 

In a statement Wednesday, RCMP thanked the Good Samaritans who returned the peacocks to their owners.

Way said she remains hopeful the thief will be identified and their stolen truck returned. 

“I still want to figure it out, just so we can press charges,” she said.  “It’s just been so unfair for the animals and it’s unfair for us.”