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Residents of a posh village are fuming as peacocks have taken over, running amok and pooing everywhere.
The birds aren't even native to Pinecrest, an affluent community south of Miami, Florida, with roughly 18,000 people.
Officials suspect the peacocks moved in from other regions where foliage is being replaced by huge modern houses. Pinecrest remains green and far more to their liking, according to the New York Times.
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Since their arrival the peacocks have caused chaos – pecking at the cars of Pinecrest's wealthy residents, waking those residents up with their squawks, and defecating just about anywhere.
But now the village has come up with a plan to combat their feathery problem, with male peacocks soon to be getting the snip.
Peacock vasectomies should be effective in the long term as male peacocks impregnate multiple peahens. Dr Don J. Harris, the vet drafted in to execute the plan, told the New York Times: "Peacocks are bona fide polygamists. We’re going to catch one peacock and probably stop seven females from reproducing. It’s going to have an exponential benefit."
Speaking to NBC6, Harris went into detail about some of the issues the peacocks cause. He said: "They're vocal. Very vocal at sunset and sunrise, so they can be a disturbance, and lastly, like poop through a goose. They poop in people's driveways, sidewalks, and people have complained about slip and fall accidents."
Harris said the peacock population has now reached "critical mass".
District 7 Commissioner Raquel Regalado said: "Most people see one peacock and they're like, oh that's nice, two – we’re talking about large numbers of birds that take up a lot of space and get very aggressive and protective of their nest."
The trappings are due to start in six weeks, with the procedure taking 90 minutes per peacock.
It is hoped that, if the pilot programme is successful, it can help other communities in the area facing similar peacock problems.
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- Animals
- United States
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