Surrey peacocks left wandering after tree cut down!

These Peacock's are in our neighbourhood and they are beautiful but noisy and messy!

They are close by and thankfully we don't hear the noise or get the mess associated with them.  The houses in the area where they nest were built 12 years ago, the same time as our complex was built.  If you haven't heard the story, the peacocks have lived in this neighbourhood for many years.  They were here long before the land was developed.  They make a lot of noise and poop making a huge mess.  One of the home owners decided if he cut down their nesting tree they would leave.  Well, they just perched themselves on his roof and the city fined him for cutting down the tree!  This fight has been going on for a few years.  It's time the City took some action! Cutting down a tree isn't solving the problem, they need to be relocated!

Here is an article from our local newspaper.

SURREY — The city says the Sullivan Heights peacocks are staying put for the time being.

Surrey’s bylaw manager Jas Rehal said no decision will be made about possibly relocating the birds until after a community meeting, that he says will likely be set for late May.  “We need to engage with the community where they’re being impacted,” Rehal told the Now-Leader on Thursday. “My sense is that the community is split.  “We need to get together and talk about what the issues are, what people are facing,” he added.

Since the news broke that a homeowner had illegally cut down a tree earlier this week, that served as a home to many of the peacocks, organizations wanting to help have been contacting the city “including organizations throughout the Lower Mainland and throughout the province that care for peacocks,” said Rehal.  But no decisions will be made until after the meeting, he stressed.

Meantime, Rehal said city staff are awaiting a “formal report back from an arborist” before it decides if the homeowner who axed the tree will be facing further fines or if other legal action will be taken. A $1,000 fine has already been issued.

Councillor Mike Starchuk said no current laws exist on what to do with these peacocks.  “All of the bylaws we have don’t apply,” he explained. “This was just one area that was not addressed through BC Wildlife or SPCA through the bylaws.”

The city created bylaws for backyard chickens, which state a property can only have four, couldn’t have a rooster and “considered the whole issue around nuisance and health and safety and hygiene,” noted Starchuk.  But there’s just no law for this peacock situation.

“This isn’t a population of very small creatures that have no impact on the neighbourhood there,” said Starchuk. “We probably all endured being on somebody’s property where somebody nearby holds loud parties and throw their empties in somebody else’s yard, so the party is like the peacocks, and instead of beer cans it’s poop. How do we right this? It’s not a natural occurrence. Peacocks are not native to Surrey.

“I think there’s a part of society that says we should be able to, as homeowners, enjoy our property,” he added. “When the ability for me to enjoy my own backyard has been defeated, we really need to find a solution.”