Jacob the peacock, the village of New Richmond’s resident peafowl died on Oct. 10., after he was found critically injured on state Route 52 on July 22, 2016.
By Megan Alley
Sun staff

Jacob the peacock, the village of New Richmond’s resident peafowl who was found critically injured on state Route 52 on July 22, died on Oct. 10.

“He gave it a good shot, didn’t he,” said Jeff Hartnady, director of the Spencer Park Aviary & Wildlife Center, located in New Richmond.

Originally, it was thought that Jacob had been struck by a hit and run driver, but eye witness accounts and the nature of his injuries, which included deep lacerations, led some to believe that Jacob may have been attacked by stray dogs.

Immediately following the incident, Jacob was admitted to All Creatures Animal Hospital in Anderson Township. He was later moved to the Amelia location, where he successfully underwent surgery on both of his legs on July 28; Dr. Daniel Meakin placed a pin in Jacob’s left leg to repair nerve and tendon damage, and he placed a pin in Jacob’s right leg to repair a break and dislocated knee.

“He still has trauma and nerve damage on both legs,” Hartnady, who took on financial responsibility and a lot of the day-to-day care for Jacob, said at the time.

When Jacob was well enough to be discharged on Aug. 5, Hartnady took him to the aviary for residence and rehabilitation.

Throughout the past couple months, Hartnady continued to monitor the effects of Jacob’s weight loss and immobility.

He, along with his family and staff, fed Jacob a high calorie, high protein diet made up of seeds, nuts, berries and mealworms. Hartnady also built a sling for Jacob to rest in intermittently while he recovered.

“He was doing really well; he was using his wings and propping himself onto his right leg and trying to stand up, and that was amazing progress,” Hartnady said. “And, he was on a good diet to keep the fat and protein strong; he just wouldn’t gain any weight, no matter what we tried.”

On Oct. 7, Hartnady noticed another decline in Jacob’s appetite.

“He was acting normal, he just really didn’t want to eat,” Hartnady added.

He continued to monitor Jacob. The morning of Oct. 8, Jacob ate and drank, but had a “head wobble” for a little while.

“His head would sway back and forth, and that really worried me,” Hartnady explained.

Jacob was immediately put on antibiotics and some deworming medication, because he had been going outside.

“He seemed to be alright,” Hartnady said, noting that over the course of the day on Oct. 9, Jacob developed a head wobble again.

“We took him home, and we sat with him, and he was still on his antibiotics,” he added.

The morning of Oct. 10, Jacob seemed a lot better, according to Hartnady; his head was erect and he ate a little.

But, at about 7:05 a.m., Jacob aspirated into his trachea.

“That was it,” Hartnady said. “We had no idea.”

Further investigation by Meakin showed that Jacob’s health had been declining for some time.

“Like anybody, when you’re inactive for that long, and you’re not moving, you’re just going to get pneumonia,” Hartnady said. “By the time we realized that’s what it was, he’d already gone.”

He added, “But it really did look like he was going to walk again, if not at least hop again, eventually. We were so excited about it, and then a week later he dies.”

Hartnady said that Jacob’s death has been tough.

“You put three months, all hours of the day, day in and day out with him, and then for that to happen, you feel like a failure,” he said. “I know we did everything possible. I just think his age and the inability to get around; it could have happened to anyone.”

News of Jacob’s passing, which was posted on the Spencer Park Aviary & Wildlife Center’s Facebook page, has received an outpouring of responses from the community. As of Oct. 17, the message was shared more than 870 times and viewed more than 70,000 times.

“It says a lot about what people thought about him,” Hartnady said.

Most recently, Jacob welcomed guests to the aviary’s Fall Festival and Haunted Hayrides event, which is being held each weekend in October.

“A lot of people came out to see him,” Hartnady said.

Mayor Ramona Carr remembered the unique charm that Jacob added to New Richmond.

“Jacob will be sorely missed by many, including myself,” Carr said in an email. “Jacob proudly shared his beauty while walking throughout the village. He brought joy to many who set along the river hoping to get a glance of him.”

She added, “I am grateful for those who cared for him after his injury until his death.”

Hartnady went on to acknowledge the care his wife, Kara, and his daughter, Spencer, gave to Jacob.

“They really went above and beyond,” he said.

Hartnady estimates that whether people loved or hated Jacob, they still liked seeing him.

“He’s not as bad as everyone said he was; he had an incredible personality,” Hartnady said. “In caring for Jacob, he turned out to be different than we expected.”

He added, “We expected a peacock, but he was really social. He would watch the news with us; he wasn’t the crazy bird everyone made him out to be, which makes his passing worse.”

Village officials are planning a memorial ceremony to honor Jacob; details are still being finalized.

To learn more about Spencer Park Aviary & Wildlife Center, and to make a donation towards Jacob’s remaining medical bills, please visit the aviary’s website at www.spencerparkaviary.com.