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.
Contact Cathy Salustri here.
