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LA County Supervisors Considers Ban On Feeding Wild Peacocks

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — As anyone who has encountered them is well aware, peacocks are beautiful but aggressive.

Colorful And Loud Peafowl Prove Controversial Addition To Some Los Angeles Neighborhoods
ARCADIA, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 08: Peafowl and peachicks gather on a resident's driveway on June 8, 2021 in Arcadia, California. Peacocks have recently become a nuisance to some residents in the region where they roam free after a peafowl relocation program was halted during the pandemic. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is preparing a vote on an ordinance that would ban the intentional feeding of any peafowl with a fine of $1000 or up to six months in prison. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

In response to the growing peacock population, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is considering an ordinance to ban feeding these wild birds.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger is behind the peacock proposal. Her office released a statement that said in part:

"These efforts are intended to balance the needs of the local community with the peafowl population, which has grown considerably over the years."

The proposed ordinance is based on one that has been place in the city of Arcadia for many years.

Wild peacocks are not a protected species, but their sheer numbers and aggressiveness have occasionally resulted in violence. One man was charged in 2019 with felony animal cruelty after allegedly running down two wild peacocks in Chatsworth, while there was rash of peacock killings on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in 2014, including one that died after being shot with a pellet gun.

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