The Calgary Zoo confirms one of its peacocks was killed last Thursday, after it flew into the lion enclosure.

It happened when the birds were being rounded up out of the cold, and into their home for the winter.

“We’ve had peacock on (the) grounds for years and years for people just to enjoy the ambience of the gardens, and it’s just that as soon as the weather turns to winter — they’re not a hearty bird and so we have winter holding space for them to go,” Spokesperson Trish Exton-Parder said.

She said what happened this year was unfortunate and unexpected.

“The keepers didn’t even realize it could fly that high and fast, and it did, and unfortunately that was where things ended tragically,” Exton-Parder said.

The zoo’s other six peacocks are safely in their winter holding pen.