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“The circle is closing around the fugitive,” Fortuna resident Pepe Matias posted to Facebook on Friday evening. “Chapo the Peacock will be caught soon (I hope)”

If you’ve visited the Fortuna Happenings Facebook group at any point in the last two or three months, you’ve almost certainly seen a post about El Chapo, Matias’s aptly-named and now-famous runaway peacock. Despite dozens of sightings across Fortuna’s neighborhoods and multiple attempts to lure the feathered fugitive, El Chapo remains at large.

The peacock saga has captured the attention of many chronically online residents, inspiring at least two local businesses to offer gift cards and discounts to anyone who can successfully (and safely) capture the bird. One resident even hailed El Chapo as “the bird that united us all.”

The Outpost has actually been tracking El Chapo’s case since his initial disappearance in mid-March. See, we were under the impression that he had been captured sometime last month and launched yet another daring escape. Not so! During a recent interview, Matias told us the peacock escaped just as he was preparing to clip its wings.

“My wife bought me [two peacocks] three or four years ago in Redding when they were just little chicks,” Matias said, referring to El Chapo and his brother, Ovejo. “Usually, they have very good behavior, but [a few] months ago, I went to Santa Rosa to get a little female to be with them. … When I came home, I clipped the wings of [Ovejo], and the female, and [El Chapo] knew he was going to be next. My son got a little too close and scared him, and he flew off onto the fence and then the neighbor’s roof.”

“He was always kind of rebellious and adventurous,” he added.

At least once a week, Matias posts to the Fortuna Happenings group to see if anyone’s seen him. He’s almost always met with dozens of well-wishes and several responses claiming the peacock has either been spotted or heard in a nearby backyard, as seen in the screenshots below.

But by the time Matias shows up, El Chapo has already flown the coop. 

“On Facebook, I’ve seen very good comments and a couple of bad comments saying I should just grab the damn bird and stop the BS … but people don’t realize that I have to work also,” he said. “I work the graveyard shift [at the hospital], and sometimes when they call me, I am almost falling asleep or getting ready to go to work. … When I can, I do rush [over], but I have a job.”

Matias asked that the Outpost extend his gratitude to the community for their part in tracking down El Chapo. “The whole town is helping!” he said.

If you spot El Chapo, Matias suggests luring him into a garage or enclosed area with a little bit of food (apparently they like to eat bugs, fruits, seeds and the like). He was reportedly last seen in someone’s backyard on Lawndale Drive, north of Safeway. If you’re able to capture him, you can get in touch with Matias on his Facebook page — linked here.

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