It may be an unusual problem; however, the City of Surrey is currently exploring ways to mitigate the Sullivan Heights peacock issue.
For roughly a decade, the neighbourhood at 150th Street and 62nd Avenue has been home to a large number of the feral birds. Some say that as many as 150 birds reside in the area.
Recently, a local homeowner, Parm Brar, cut down a tree filled with the fowl. The city responded by fining him $1,000 for his actions, but a great deal of his neighbours supported his action.
Not only are the peafowl loud, and messy, but they are inflicting serious damage on luxury automobiles. Now that the birds are in mating season, reflections in cars are causing them to act aggressively. They see their own reflections, assume they’re competing males, and attack.
Sadly, this type of behaviour comes at a high cost to locals. In fact, residents report that they’ve inflicted thousands of dollars worth of damage to expensive vehicles.
Currently, residents are divided over what to do about the peacocks. Some are actually content with them, and describe them as majestic, or even royal. Of course, just as many, if not more, find them a destructive pest.
The Peacock Whisperer
That’s where Mr. Peacock comes in.
Yes, you heard that right. Mr. Peacock is a peafowl expert from Iowa who helps people resolve issues relating to the birds.
“Dennis Fett, aka Mr. Peacock, charges $1,500 a day plus expenses for his specialized services. He said Surrey had not, by this time of writing, hired him,” reports the Peach Arch News.
What’s more, Fett once helped Hugh Hefner deal with some unruly bird behaviour back in the 1990s.
While the city hasn’t hired him yet, he claims that the New York Times said he has an “encyclopedic knowledge about peacocks.”
If this statement holds any truth, he may just be the city’s solution to this peafowl problem.
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