A neighborhood pet peacock in McKinleyville, California, had a hit taken out on it via Craigslist. The peacock later turned up fatally shot in a neighbor’s yard.
Originally reported out by the Lost Coast Outpost, a news site that covers Humboldt County, a disgruntled neighbor allegedly took out a hit on the pet because it was waking him up with its loud call.
The now-deleted Craigslist ad reportedly inadvertently indicated who posted it. A Google Maps image had been crudely edited to show the roosting spot and stomping grounds of the peacock, known variously as Mr. P, Peony and Azul. The poster’s home was identified by a place marker on the Google Maps image.
“The job is simple…” screenshots of the ad read. “Get rid of a wild peacock that is disrupting our lives. Locating the bird is easy as it roosts in the trees near my house every evening around 8 to 8:30 p.m. There are no fences so access is easy, but please note that I do not own any of this property.”
“Please contact me so we can form a strategy to eliminate this bird, and also to agree on how much you will be compensated,” it continued.
The peacock was in the area around Azalea Estates Mobile Home Park, the family he stayed with for six years prior to his death told Lost Coast Outpost. The family built him a roofless enclosure on their property outside the mobile home park; they told LCO that they felt he was safest roosting in the trees because there are bears in the area.
Peacocks are domestic pets, a Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson told LCO. A suspect has been identified, but it’s unclear whether anyone has been charged. This spokesperson also told LCO that if charges were filed, they would be for the discharge of a firearm near a dwelling and animal cruelty if it could be proven that the bird was shot out of malice.
The Daily Dot has reached out to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office regarding this matter.
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