When a Greenbriar resident noticed the peacock on his roof, it didn’t strike him as odd.
After all, Greenbriar has quite the ostentation. Literally. The peacocks hail from the former Douglas property (yes, the Douglas family after which Dunedin’s Douglas Avenue gets its name), which used to have a farm.
What the Timber Lane resident did find unusual about this particular peacock was the arrow sticking out of its side. That’s when Suncoast Animal League got the call to come get the bird.
Peacocks, while spectacularly feathered (their feathers iridesce), are not known for using their inside voices. Greenbriar neighbors disagree on the peacocks: Some love them, some hate them, but people on both sides of the issue assured both Suncoast Animal League and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office that no one wanted to see them harmed.
Suncoast Animal League paid for an avian veterinarian to remove the arrow, and the peacock went to a local bird sanctuary, where it will remain.
While the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission does not consider peacocks a “protected” bird — like most of us reading this, peacocks are not native to Florida — shooting one with a bow and arrow is considered animal cruelty. (We have a few stronger words for it.)
PCSO deputies still have not found the shooter — but they’re looking. In the meantime, if you live in the area, keep an eagle eye out for anyone wandering around with a bow and arrow. No one yet knows if the shooter had strong feelings about peacocks, or other reasons for shooting at a living creature.
Dunedin peacock shot with bow and arrow Credit: Suncoast Animal LeagueDr. Murphy at the Animal and Bird Hospital of Clearwater attended to the injured bird. Credit: Suncoast Animal LeagueAt first rescuers feared the arrow had gone into the body of the peafowl… Credit: Suncoast Animal League…but upon closer examination, the arrow pierced the wing without entering the peacock’s core. Credit: Suncoast Animal LeagueAnother view of the arrow that some person walking around Dunedin shot through a defenseless bird for reasons unknown. Credit: Suncoast Animal LeagueAlthough the wound was superficial, subduing the majestic bird still took some effort. After all, it still hurt and the peacock had no way of knowing its “captors” were trying to help. Credit: Suncoast Animal LeagueAfter removing the arrow, the staff at the clinic shows the arrow’s size in comparison to the peacock. Credit: Suncoast Animal LeagueSeriously, someone did this and that someone is escaping the police. Credit: Suncoast Animal LeagueWhen rescuers approached the peacock, in the peafowl-laden Greenbriar subdivision, the peacock was clearly debilitated but in no mood for “assistance.” Credit: Suncoast Animal LeagueThe peacock was not interested in getting help and gave chase. Credit: Suncoast Animal LeagueThe peacock took to the trees. Suncoast Animal League did, too — albeit less gracefully. Credit: Suncoast Animal LeagueAfter a lengthy game of “you can’t catch me,” Suncoast Animal League’s Rick Chaboudy subdued the peacock. Credit: Suncoast Animal LeagueThe look on Chaboudy’s face pretty much says it all as he hold the injured peacock. They did not attempt to remove the arrow, as they did not know how deeply it had pierced the bird. Any bleeding on a bird can be deadly. Credit: Suncoast Animal LeagueAnother view of the peacock pierced by a hunter’s arrow. Credit: Suncoast Animal League
Related
Eat your way through 10 days of Tampa Bay's best burger specials during Tampa Bay's Burger Week
