How Do I Get Rid of a Peacock Bird in Miami?

Your peacock has worn out his welcome.

Perhaps at some point in your life, a beautiful and exotic pet peacock seemed like a fantastic idea. Perhaps you simply woke up one morning and discovered that a strange peacock had made itself at home in your backyard. Either way, the noise, mess and aggression towards you and your family have made your resident peacock unwelcome. If you live in Miami, you happen to share this problem with a number of the city's residents. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to relieve yourself of your nuisance peafowl.

Instructions

1. If you do not know where your peacock came from, contact all of your local animal shelters as well as the local branch of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and ask them whether anyone has reported a missing peacock. Perhaps your errant peacock can be reunited with a loving home. If your peacock is someone's beloved pet, the shelters can put you in touch with the peacock's owner and the two of you can make arrangements to get the peacock back home.

2. Contact all of your local animal shelters and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and ask them if they will take your peacock. Some animal shelters have facilities for birds and exotic animals and may be willing to take your peacock off your hands. Ask them if they are willing to come pick the peacock up so that you do not have to attempt to capture and transport it yourself.

3. Contact local private bird rescues. The state of Florida has a number of private bird rescue organizations that work to find new homes for unwanted pets and exotics. These organizations humanely re-home unwanted parrots, peacocks and even flamingos on a daily basis and have experience handling these birds. They also have extensive contacts and are likely to already know someone who is interested in taking your peacock.

4. Attempt to sell your peacock. You may not want a peacock, but someone else may. List your peacock in the bird classified section of your local newspaper and websites that feature pet classifieds. Take a look at the other peacock advertisements before you write yours to learn how much money to ask for and what information potential buyers need to see in your advertisement.

5. Offer your peacock to the zoo or another local animal attraction. Contact the zoo and animal attractions and ask them if they are willing to come to your house and take your peacock.

6. If all else fails and no one is willing to take your peacock, hire a trapper to come collect it. You will have to pay for this service. Make sure that you hire a trapper who will take your peacock to an animal reserve or adoption center, and not one who will have the peacock euthanized. Make sure that it is legal in your community to trap and relocate the bird before you take this step.

Tips & Warnings

• Some neighborhoods, such as Coral Gables, are bird sanctuaries where it is illegal to trap or relocate a bird. Make sure that your neighborhood does not have any laws regarding re-homing the bird before you attempt to move it.

References

• Peacock Information Center: Peacock and Peafowl Rescue, Adoption, and Relocation
• New York Times: Peacocks Test Miami Neighborhood's Welcome Mat

Resources

• Animal Shelter Network: Florida Bird Rescue Shelters