LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A toucan has been spotted flying around the northwest Las Vegas Valley for several months, with dozens of sightings reported as the tropical bird continues to evade capture efforts.
Katherine Eddington first thought she saw a crow with a banana when she spotted the bird on Friday on her way to her son’s school. After taking photos, she realized it was a toucan.
“I was going north on Simmons, and I was getting to the intersection here at Ann, and he flew over from the Chevron, and he flew over the intersection and landed in this tree next to Burger King,” Eddington said.
Widespread sightings across valley
Online searches revealed dozens of people have posted toucan sightings over recent months. Photos from Los Prados Golf Course in November, taken by Tammie D’Angleo, were shared more than 100 times on social media.
Sightings have been reported as far as Floyd Lamb Park, with 35 pages of reported sightings on PawBoost, a website for missing pets.
Someone posted on PawBoost about a bird named Sam Toucan that escaped its enclosure in mid-November near Lone Mountain and Torrey Pines.
“He’s beautiful. He looks very healthy, so he’s clearly eating some good fruit in the neighborhood,” Eddington said.
Rescue efforts underway
Eddington contacted several animal rescue groups, including the Department of Wildlife and a local bird rescue, but no one was able to immediately respond.
“It’d be nice to see that he is safe and protected from the elements of Las Vegas. Or even if he is somebody’s pet, I know that if I lost one of my dogs, I would be heartbroken and doing what I can to try to get them back in our home,” Eddington said.
She worries the tropical animal won’t survive the extreme summer heat.
“I hope that we can get him. I hope that somebody can be able to catch him,” Eddington said.
SouthWest Exotic Avian Rescue (SWEAR) said it is a miracle the bird has survived this long. The rescue group has tried repeatedly over recent months to catch Sam and has a trap set where he has been repeatedly spotted.
The bird is not tame and will fly away if people approach. The rescue group advises people not to feed him, as they want him to go to their food trap. Facebook Messenger is the best way to contact the rescue, as multiple people monitor the account and can respond faster.
Under Nevada state law, toucans are explicitly listed as a species that may be possessed, transported and imported without a state permit or license.
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