Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Peacock Meets Thor

A peacock surveys DRC, perched right next to our lightning detection/alert system.

In addition to dolphins and sea lions, various other animal species call DRC home. Tropical birds greet guests from their aviary while cats, iguanas, chickens and peafowl roam the grounds, frequently getting their pictures taken. Recently on a stormy morning one of the peacocks ventured up to the roof of one of our buildings, perhaps to get a true “bird’s eye view”. He probably didn’t realize that he perched right next to DRC’s lightning detection system, known as Thor. When storms travel into our area, the system detects when lightning strikes are close and emits an extremely loud alarm. For the safety of our guests and staff, we then temporarily halt our programs and go inside buildings.
Staff members report seeing the peacock was already in that position when the alert sounded. Much to our amazement, the ear-piercing alarm didn’t faze the bird! He remained up there for at least 45 minutes afterward! Perhaps we need to check his hearing??

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