Peacock spotted walking around Camden Town after escape from London Zoo

A peacock that escaped from London Zoo over the weekend has been spotted walking through Camden Town and being attacked by dive-bombing seagulls.

The female peacock, known as a peahen, is one of just two held by the zoo and has now taken up a new home at the top of a tree in Regent’s Park.

Having spread its wings - and survived its brush with the seagulls - the bird is now seemingly content to roost in the park with zoo keepers spending the best part of their weekend trying to coax her down with dead rodents.

Officials believe the peahen escaped after a visitor propped open a door to her enclosure in the zoo’s Snowdon Aviary.

Describing her as “peaceful and friendly”, the zoo’s keepers say they have kept “a very close eye” on the bird since she escaped.

But that didn’t stop it paying a visit to the more urban areas of Camden surrounding the zoo, which is based in Regent’s Park.

The peahen stopped traffic yesterday morning after walking nonchalantly down Oval Road in Camden Town.

Peter Bridgman, who was cycling past, said: “In front of all these cars that had stopped I saw this big exotic peacock walking calmly down the road.

“Then two seagulls started dive-bombing it to scare it away - it was an extraordinary sight with the birds making a huge amount of noise.”

London Zoo says if it can’t lure the peahen down with its favourite food it will try to capture it using large nets.