The RSPCA has said their ‘overwhelming priority’ is the welfare of the peacocks living feral in Bangor, following concerns about the birds.

 

The Gwynedd Branch of the RSPCA has received a number of calls about the peacocks, with complaints about the noise and mess, prompting fears the birds could be captured and sent to a sanctuary in Scotland.

The Peacocks, which originated from a nearby farm, have become a regular feature on Bangor High Street and surrounding areas over the last two years.

They Peacocks have become so popular they even have a social media account dedicated to posting photos.

Despite their beauty, not all local residents are happy with the birds on the High Street.

A local resident told The Bangor Aye: “I’ve called the RSPCA a couple of times and they’ve always said if the Peacocks aren’t injured or unwell there is nothing they can do.

“If this was a quiet village I wouldn’t mind, but when the High Street fully reopens, we have people speeding up the High Street and heavy lorries. The road is really narrow so there is no way to swerve.

“Bangor High Street is not a place for these beautiful creatures.”

RSPCA

A spokesperson from the RSPCA West Gwynedd Branch said: “We have received several reports concerning the welfare of the Peacocks in the Bangor area, along with issues regarding the noise and the mess they are creating.

“The birds have created a lot of local interest and they are certainly beautiful but can equally be noisy and create quite a mess, they can at times also be aggressive.

“Our overwhelming priority is the welfare of the birds, especially with proximity of the road. A peacock was injured by a vehicle last year on the High Street and sadly had to be euthanised.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and make regular assessments on the wellbeing of the peacocks.”

Local resident Roisin said: “People are complaining about the Bangor Peacocks potentially going to a sanctuary in Scotland need to stop and consider that the peacocks belong to children who were really upset when they were driven away from their home. We asked a thousand times to stop feeding them and chasing them for pictures and they wouldn’t.

“Unfortunately they don’t go home now and there have been numerous complaints about them resulting in my sister (the owner) receiving threats of fines from the council.

“They tried to catch them during the first lockdown when there was no one around but it’s very difficult and they risked injuring them. If they go to a sanctuary they can be caught by professionals safely and taken to an environment that’s much more suitable than city streets.

“It’s outrageous that people are trying to take some sort of public ownership of the animals.”

About Peacocks

Peafowl are members of the pheasant family, and the national bird of India. The w

Peacocks can be noisy; they have a very loud high-pitched meow like call. Theyord peacock actually refers to the male bird, while females are peahens, and the young are peachicks.

The peafowl’s natural habitat is woodland and forest though in the wild they adapt well to different environments. The peafowl natural diet consists of worms, insects, berries, grain and seed.

In captivity peafowl can live up to 15 years, some have been recorded living as long as 30 years.

The Problem 

  • Noise during the mating season (early spring to early autumn). Dawn and late evening is a favourite time for this.
  • Peacocks tend to wander and when people get them, they often don’t realise there’s a process you need to go through to get them to stay in a particular area, although this can often be unsuccessful.
  • Peafowl like to roost in trees and will commonly go looking for a suitable one, often this outside of the owner’s area. They will also roost on roofs where they can cause damage.
  • Peafowl for some reason are fond of cars and enjoy standing on them. They will also attack their reflection in cars and cause damage by scratching and pecking them
  • Peafowl will often dig up flowerbeds and cause damage to gardens while foraging for food.

Peacocks and the Law

Peafowl are a non-indigenous species not covered by any UK wildlife protection laws, thus not classed as a wild bird in the UK. They are not listed under the Road Traffic Act, so there are no requirements to report traffic accidents involving these birds. Most birds will have owners as they are held as domestic pets, and the Police can deal with stolen and lost reports. As domesticated pets, they are also covered by the Protection of Animals Act 1911 with regard to cruelty.