California: Animal Control rounds up wayward Peacock that causes $500 in damage inside liquor store

CALIFORNIA -- Just imagine the surprise for the folks who work and shop at the Royal Oaks Liquor Store in Arcadia when a peacock wandered in and wouldn’t leave.

The bird ended up flying up on top of the shelves knocking bottles over before animal control came and helped get the peacock to safety.

 

The peacock flapped around the store trying to find a way out. At one point it flew right towards Rani Ghanem who manages the store. He took video after calling animal control for help.

“It flew towards me. I didn’t know they could actually fly high but it flew up above the counter and it landed here on top of the ice cream freezer,” Ghanem said.

 

Ghanem tried to help the peacock find the door but instead the bird perched up on top of the wine shelves. With a bird’s eye view of business below, customers were still coming and going, some of them even took pictures with the bird.

“This was really out of my comfort zone, I was kind of scared I didn’t know what to do,” Ghanem said.

 

 

It wasn’t long before animal control arrived. They used a net to guide the peacock down from the top of the shelves, but it didn’t come down without a fight.

The rescue was a success and the bird was taken to safety, but Ghanem was left to clean up the mess.

 

 

The peacock ended up knocking down about $500 worth of wine and champagne.

Peacocks are a protected species, even feeding them comes with a big fine, up to $1000 and six months of jail time.

VIDEO NEWS CLIP FROM CBS:

(CBS Local - June 5, 2017)

(May 2016) Louisiana: New Orleans neighborhood fights to keep roaming peacock

LOUISIANA -- For 10 years in New Orleans, a peacock named Mr. P has been roaming the Pigeon Town neighborhood.

Most neighbors enjoy his company. Others say he is a nuisance -- especially during mating season, which goes on for three months in the spring.

Neighbors told WDSU that Mr. P cries out at all hours of the day. There may be no noise ordinance violation from that, but what really has the neighbors' feathers ruffled is the damage wrought by the bird.

When Mr. P sees his reflection on vehicles parked in the area, he pecks the vehicle, thinking he is battling a romantic rival. Neighbors also told WDSU that Mr. P is causing some damage to gardens.

Animal control was called to capture the peacock, but failed. Mr. P eluded the six agents by flying onto a nearby roof.

But the majority of the neighbors love Mr. P.

Lisa Palumbo is a neighbor looking to keep Mr. P safe. Palumbo said she, along with several neighbors, contacted New Orleans City Council member Susan Guidry when animal control agents were spotted attempting to nab the bird.

After getting the call from Palumbo, Guidry got to work to keep the animal safe by pushing an ordinance that would list the neighborhood as a sanctuary for the bird. Guidry also moved to have animal control step aside.

“For the last 10 years, West Carrolton has had a few very unique residents - peacocks—in addition to an established group of parrots. While they are beloved by most of the community, residents and community groups recently approached my office with concerns that the peacocks might be removed," Guidry said in a statement.

"As New Orleans is a signatory to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Urban Bird Treaty program, we already have 14 established bird sanctuaries in New Orleans—in neighborhoods such as Lakeview, Lakeshore, Lake Vista, Bayou St. John, the Bywater, Algiers, and in many parts of New Orleans East, including Joe Brown Park.

"In these bird sanctuaries, it is unlawful to molest, kill, trap, or hunt birds or fowl. This ordinance creates a 15th bird sanctuary in West Carrollton to provide those protections to the Carrollton peacocks and parrots, thereby preserving the unique charm and character of one of our city’s many vibrant neighborhoods.”

With Guidry's help, neighbors are working to create a fund to repair damages caused by the this hopelessly romantic bird.

A Facebook group has been created to save Mr. P.

(WDSU - May 6, 2016)

Louisiana: Karl Percle, 54, accused of shooting at neighbor's peacocks

LOUISIANA -- A Choupic man is accused of shooting at his neighbor's peacocks, injuring one, because they were making noise.

Karl Percle, 54, 256 Coteau Lane, is charged with aggravated cruelty to animals. He was released from the Lafourche Parish jail Monday morning after posting a $2,500 bond.

About 1:25 p.m. Sunday, deputies arrived on scene after a report of a gun being fired, Lafourche sheriff's Sgt. Brennan Matherne said today. Percle, who had complained to the peacocks' owners about the noise in the past, had reportedly fired his rifle at the pen.

Matherne said the Sheriff's Office's records show no noise complaints from Percle in the past few years.

(Houma Today - May 24, 2016)

Name: Karl M Percle
Address: 256 Coteau Lane, Thibodaux LA
DOB: 06/10/1961
Race: White
Sex: Male
Age at arrest: 54
Date of arrest: 05/22/2016
Arresting agency: Lafourche Parish
Total Bond: $2,500
Charge:

• AGGRAVATED CRUELTY TO ANIMALS - STATUTE: 14:102.1 - BOND: $2500

Authorities confiscate hundreds of animals near Lawtell

LOUISIANA --From the outside, the trailer that serves as Donald James LaFluer’s home in a rural area about three miles south of Lawtell offers an attractive appearance.

Surrounded by flowering trees, it is almost invisible from the road. Closer to the house, there are scores of pots filled with flowers and tropical plants, interspersed with concrete statues.

 

 

But with every step closer, the smell overwhelms the outward appearance of beauty.

On Friday, St. Landry Parish deputies charged LaFleur, 61, of 2572 Louisiana 752, Lawtell, with animal cruelty after officials located hundreds of animals, primarily birds, living in terrible conditions.

(Photo: Freddie Herpin/Gannett Louisiana)

“The conditions are deplorable,” said Brooks Davis, with St. Landry Parish Animal Control, as she and dozens of officers with the parish shelter, the sheriff’s office, Fire District III and other agencies hauled out cage after cage.

Each was filled to the brim with chickens, ducks and geese, as well as exotic birds such as peacocks, parrots, grouse, parakeets and even pheasants.

Most of the workers wore surgical masks because of the overwhelming stench.

“It was gross. It was not good for the animals, but I don’t know how he could stand it himself,” Davis said. She compared the situation in the house to that of a hoarder, with narrow walkways allowing passage through piles of trash and waste.

Davis said about 20 dogs shared the trailer with LaFleur. She said it appeared that nobody had cleaned the animal waste in a long time.

“The floor was like a thick mat of papier-maché,” she said, adding it appeared that LaFleur had spread paper on the floor to catch the animal waste.

But it seemed to her that as each layer had become soaked and saturated, LaFleur would simply add another layer of paper to the top of the pile.

The animal control officer’s main concern was with the birds of all varieties and sizes.

“Those chickens were eating each other. That’s how crowded they were,” said Davis.

She estimated that crews had removed at least 1,000 birds from the property “if you count all the little ones. A lot of chickens have just hatched.”

Parish President Bill Fontenot, who was assisting with the roundup, said he wasn’t sure about that.

“But hundreds for sure,” he said.

Fontenot said selling birds is LaFleur’s business. But the man’s relatives told Fontenot not many were selling, so their numbers just kept increasing.

As soon as officers arrived Friday morning to serve a warrant, Fontenot said LaFleur barricaded himself in the house, but deputies eventually convinced him to come out.

“He has been charged with animal cruelty, but he doesn’t see it as that,” said Fontenot.

Donald LaFleur

 He said LaFleur didn’t understand what all the commotion was about.

[It doesn't matter if he agrees with the law or if he 'doesn't understand' why there are laws to protect animals. It's not a matter of him not comprehending the law. It's a matter of him not agreeing with the laws that protect animals and he refuses to abide by them.]

Although authorities have booked LaFleur into the parish jail, Fontenot said a more appropriate response may be to help him get psychiatric help.

This is not LaFleur’s first animal cruelty charge. He has been arrested multiple times in the past for his alleged treatment of exotic birds and dogs.

In all cases, he was raising the animals for sale.

(Monroe News Star - Aug 17, 2014)

Apparently complete idiots live in Cypress, Texas. The cops use Tasers on peacocks and owners are killing their own pets b/c they're too dumb to pen them up properly

TEXAS -- On Dale Drive in Cypress, they had a problem of the feathered kind.

"My wife and I call him ‘Meanie,’" said Riley Richards.

"Meanie" was a male peacock owned by Richards' daughter. She brought Meanie and a female peacock home a few months ago and that's when the attacks started.

"When you have a big bird up that high and you're coming out the patio door and that bird comes down on you, it's terrifying" said neighbor Billie Rumsey.

Rumsey says she has the bruises to prove how mean he really was. He also really had it out for her niece and swooped in for a surprise attack on Thursday.

"I heard her screaming and hollering," recalled Rumsey. "The bird had jumped off of the roof on to her on to her back got her in the head and scratched all of her back it was all bloody."

That was the last straw.

Rumsey told us animal control couldn't help, a wild bird association couldn't either and a rescue group from Humble couldn't assist for hours.

She called the Harris County Sheriff's Office and a deputy showed up.

"The deputy was sitting in his car and I came over and was talking to him and he started attacking me," said Rumsey. "At that time, the deputy tased him twice and it didn't even phase the peacock."

No one knew what to do until the owner's husband walked out with a shotgun and asked the deputy for permission to kill the peacock.

"Meanie" was killed in his neighbor's yard.

"Yeah, I didn't wanna see the peacock killed," Rumsey admitted. "I was hoping the rescue people would get here and take it."

[I guess all of you are too stupid to pen the bird up properly. Yes, it's sooo funny that a police officer tased a bird. This police officer should be fired - for stupidity. ]

(KHOU - Feb 14, 2014)

Man sexually abuses bird, kills it

 Authorities say abuse of bird connected to indecent solicitation of a child

ILLINOIS -- DuPage County authorities say a Roselle man sexually abused his pet peacock, which later was found dead in his garage.

David Beckmann, 64, of 645 E. Devon Ave., was charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty after Roselle police said they learned about the abuse and subsequent death of the bird, named Phyl, while investigating another crime.

On Wednesday, Beckmann was booked at the DuPage County jail on separate misdemeanor charges of battery and attempted indecent solicitation of a child. Both of those charges stem from a Tuesday night case in Roselle involving a child between the ages of 13 and 17, court records show.

Roselle police on Friday declined to talk about the animal cruelty charge because they said it's part of the case with the child.

But a spokesman with the state's attorney's office confirmed Beckmann is accused of sexually abusing the peacock.

When and how Phyl died is unclear. But Roselle police indicated they saw the bird's body in the garage of Beckmann's home on the night of April 28, according to court records. Police had seen the bird alive at the home before that date.

Beckmann was being held Friday at the county jail on $10,000 bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned on June 12.

(Daily Herald - May 11, 2013)

Florida: Randall Konarik, 34, beat and tortured a peacock to death

FLORIDA -- A man has been charged with animal cruelty on the suspicion that he killed a peacock, then cut off the bird's wings, claws and feathers and stuck the carcass in his freezer for a later meal.

Randall Jude Konarik, 34, of 1220 Palm St. was arrested Monday morning on a charge of cruelty to animals. He was being held at the Pinellas County Jail on Tuesday afternoon in lieu of $10,000 bail.

Clearwater police on Saturday received a report that Konarik had captured a peacock in Dunedin, then brought it to his home, tied it to a brick and killed it.

When police talked to Konarik, he told them he struck the bird in the head with a rock, then kicked it. He told police he then picked up the bird by its wings and feet and carried it 2 miles to his home, an arrest affidavit states.

Konarik told police the bird struggled during the walk, which he said "caused the bird to die from heat exhaustion a few hours later," an arrest report states.

Konarik said the death was accidental and occurred while he was trying to relocate the bird.

Once the bird was dead, Konarik removed the bird's wings, claws and some of its feathers. When asked why, he told officers: "Because that's what hunters do," the arrest report states.

He then skinned the bird and placed it in his freezer to eat later, police said.

It was unknown exactly where in Dunedin the bird was captured.

Peafowl have recently created some controversy in one north Clearwater neighborhood. Some residents have tried to remove the birds, complaining they are noisy and messy. That hasn't gone over well with other neighbors who enjoy their beauty.

"I'm in shock to say the least," said Susan Sander, one of the peacock lovers. "To me, animal cruelty is equal to a person. They're God's creatures. I'm so saddened."

Though the birds are very pretty, some who live in neighborhoods where they roam don't appreciate their harsh squawks, particularly during mating season, which is around May. The birds also are known to tear up flower gardens, and even to peck at cars when they see their image reflected.

The birds have lived in the area of the Clearwater-Dunedin border since the 1920s, when there was a peafowl farm there. The birds were raised for their tail feathers, which were a popular fashion item.

When the farm folded decades ago, many of the birds were simply let loose. They have strutted the area ever since.

Rick Chaboudi, executive director of the Humane Society of North Pinellas, said he has never heard of someone killing a peacock, then saving it to eat.

"I have never heard of anyone ever hunting peacocks," he said. "You can't just execute them or mutilate them or things like that."

ARREST INFO:
Full name: Randall Jude Konarik
Sex: Male
Race: White
DOB: 11/10/1967
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 160
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Green
Address: 2108 Palmetto St, Clearwater FL 33765

APRIL 24, 2011 UPDATE:
Randall Konarik is dead.

Konarik was riding his bike across US 19 N and East Bay Drive when he was hit by a car and seriously injured, Tuesday.

Officials said the bicyclist was riding against the traffic signal when he was hit by Skylar Martz, 26, of Largo, who was driving a 1994 Nissan Sentra. Martz was traveling eastbound on East Bay Drive through the intersection when Konarik came into his lane in a southbound direction, officials said.

According to Largo Police, witnesses said Konarik was crossing the intersection outside the crosswalk and against the traffic signal at 10:04 p.m. when he was hit.

(St. Petersburg Times - June 12, 2002)