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Feral Peacocks attacking cars in Surry BC
#1
This is a very strange story. There have been pea fowl running wild on Vancouver Island for many years. I can't find anything about where they come from.
They move around and the flock in Surry BC has been there for 10 years. Some people love them and some people hate them.
Many of the flock roosted in a large pine tree on someone's property. The man cut the tree down and the birds don't know where to go. He has been fined for illegally cutting down a tree. 
Whether the car attacks are linked to the tree cutting is hard to say. Right now the males have been attacking their reflections in the  shiny cars. They can do a lot of expensive damage. People are not happy and neither are the birds.


https://globalnews.ca/news/4249962/surrey-peacocks/



https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/feral-peac...-1.3957446


One thought that comes to mind is get the cars dirty so the birds can't see their reflections. It is a short term solution, but it will help for now.

Maybe the birds need to be relocated. A proper roosting place could be set up in a local park or they could all be moved to the grounds of some sanctuary or place that has extensive grounds. Instead of being angry or culling the birds, they should find a reasonable and humane solution. The birds have roamed freely on Vancouver Island for a long time. I saw them there about 30 years ago. There may be a problem now because there are more birds and there are more people.

Maybe they should give up their fancy cars for bicycles. The birds don't attack bicycles.
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Catherine

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#2
Why is that when humans do something wrong the animal species have to pay,why can't they just find a solution that doesn't mean something has to suffer.
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#3
Cutting down the tree was mean. It was their nesting place. They looked confused and lost and hung around the pieces of the tree. Why do something like that when there would not be a good outcome. Cutting the tree down was not going to make the birds  disappear. Finding a new place for them might have worked. 

I remember the pea fowl when I spent time on Vancouver island and they were fun and interesting. I didn't find their cries disturbing. The babies were so cute I always loved seeing them.

Some people don't seem to be able to live with nature. I wonder if the birds are attacking the cars to get back at humans. They know the cars are important to people and they are upset by people. I just hope whatever they do it doesn't involve hurting the birds. After all, the birds are on Vancouver Island because humans brought them there. They certainly didn't arrive on their own.
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Catherine

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#4
Birds can't understand reflections. They do think they are other birds. I found that out from my nearby farmer as his wife put up a big mirror when her old male Goose lost his mate after 27 years. He refused to eat. Since the mirror was put there he is convinced he's not all alone and seems quite happy with the idea.
So it's very likely the Peacocks are attacking the cars because they see their own reflections and think they are rival males. I don't know what the solution to that might be except, as you say, letting the cars get dusty. When parked, cars can be covered with a thin tarp weighted with stones which might help. But people always want to do things super-quickly so would prbably hate having to take the covers off and put them back on.

But it is sad that they haven't anywhere to roost now. I hope a solution can be found for the birds to have some peace and the cars not to be damaged any more.
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#5
The video says that the home owner cut down the tree without a permit and this is currently under investigation. If he is found to have committed an offence, then perhaps the people with damaged cars could sue him for causing the problem? I don't normally approve of the "Sue, sue, sue!" attitude, but in this case the causer of this problem should be held liable for his actions. If it discourages other people from cutting down trees which provide a base for wildlife, then that would be positive.
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#6
It is only the males who are attacking cars so it must be the reflection.
The real conflict seems to have come after the tree was cut down. The city would never have given a permit to take down a healthy tree like that. He did it to get rid of the birds, but it seems to have made the problem worse. When the birds were up his tree they were content. Now they are in turmoil.

I don't know if the car owners can sue, but the city is going to fine him. The city might insist that he plant another tree too.

This is a clear example of someone not understanding animals and how they would react. I guess he thought if he cut the tree down, the birds would quietly go away. He should have consulted someone who knows about birds.
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Catherine

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