Peacock Shot With Arrow Latest Chapter In Neighborhood Feud

DUNEDIN, FL — Someone in Greenbriar Estates in Dunedin is peeved with the peacocks that freely roam the neighborhood.

Last week, a peacock was found shot with a 3-foot-long arrow.

Palm Harbor-based Suncoast Animal League Executive Director Rick Chaboudy was called to the neighborhood and found the peacock perched on a roof with an arrow sticking out of its body.

Chaboudy was able to capture it with a net and took it to the Animal & Bird Center of Palm Harbor for treatment. Fortunately, the arrow missed the bird’s vital organs and the vets were able to safely remove it. The bird is now in a rehab center in Brandon where it’s expected to make a full recovery.

However, other birds in the neighborhood may be at risk from someone who apparently has a vendetta against the big birds.

Although peafowl aren’t native to Florida (they are indigenous to India) they thrive in Florida’s tropical environment. And once a family of peafowl is introduced into an area, they never leave. Generations of peafowl have called Greenbriar Estates home.

Not all Greenbriar Estates residents are happy about sharing their subdivision with peafowl. Although the male peacocks (the females are peahens) can be beautiful with their iridescent blue and green feathers, peafowl make an annoying sound that’s loud enough to wake a person from a sound sleep.

In addition, their droppings can be corrosive to painted surfaces, including cars; they can be aggressive toward people, especially if there is food involved; and they have been known to damage screened enclosures.

"Many residents find the peacocks to be a significant part of their Greenbriar heritage," said Chaboudy. "They find their anointed mascot to be regal and majestic. Others find them to be nothing more than a dirty, destructive nuisance that should be banned from their neighborhood."

No matter how irritating, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said there’s no excuse for shooting peafowl with arrows, which is animal cruelty, a criminal act.

This latest attack is one of three active sheriff's investigations into attacks on peafowl in the neighborhood.

Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to call the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office at (727) 582-6200.

Image via Suncoast Animal League

What do you think? Are peacocks a pest or an avian asset?