Man, overrun by peacocks, cuts down tree to get rid of nest, faces $10 K fine

A Surrey, British Columbia man has been battling peacocks who have settled on his front door after dozens of the birds took up residency at his home.

He was so frustrated by the birds, he took matters into his own hands and cut down a tree where the birds were nesting.

He was initially assessed a $1,000 fine, but now Surrey’s manager of bylaws says the man could be on the hook for 10 times that amount.

“Our investigation is ongoing,” said Jas Rehal.

“We’re looking into further fines of upwards towards $10,000 for both the property owner and the individuals who cut down the tree.”

Rehal acknowledged that the homeowner had been asking the city for three years to do something about the peacocks, who he said were ruining his property.

Rehal added the birds pose a particular challenge for the city.

“The peacocks are not something that normally fall within the scope of animal control and they fall outside the scope of conservation,” he said.

“This is definitely one of the more stranger ones.”

Since the tree was removed, neighbours have expressed outrage, describing the decision as “unreal.”

As Global News in Vancouver reports, in what may be an ironic conclusion to the tale, the now nest-less peacocks have taken up residence on the roof of the homeowner who had the tree removed.

About the author

Peg Fong is also in recovery from newspapers

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.