Calgary Zoo has lost a longtime member of its animal family with the death of Fabio, a 15-year-old free-roaming peacock who had lived at the zoo since hatching there in June 2011. Fabio was struck by a third-party contractor's vehicle on a back service road following scheduled work, and despite treatment from the zoo's Animal Health team, he died from his injuries. A necropsy confirmed he succumbed quickly and did not suffer.

The zoo's Environment, Health & Safety team investigated the incident, including a review of available security footage, and determined it was a tragic accident that couldn't have been prevented under the circumstances at the time. In response, the zoo says it's taking a closer look at how it manages the risk to its free-roaming animals, from refreshing contractor training to making sure staff and vendors alike know to watch for wildlife when driving through zoo grounds. Free-roaming peafowl have been part of the zoo since the 1930s, and the zoo has cared for blue peafowl continuously since 1966.

The update comes a couple of weeks after the zoo's grizzly cub, Fitz, briefly got loose from his habitat, climbing above his enclosure's containment barriers before staff safely returned him to his back-of-house space. At the time, the zoo said it was reviewing what improvements might be needed. It has now confirmed the fix: reinforced fencing around the habitat, plus a new 90-degree overhang designed specifically to stop the bears from climbing over the top. While the zoo hasn't explicitly tied the upgrade to Fitz's escape, the timing and details make the connection hard to miss.

Fitz and his brother Turner, who'd been kept behind the scenes since the incident, were set to return to their main habitat on September 4. Staff will keep a close eye on the pair as they settle back in, and the zoo says the two may occasionally be out of public view while they adjust. "We're confident these changes will prevent a recurrence," the zoo said, adding it will keep monitoring the cubs' behaviour and make further changes if needed.