Royal Oaks Liquor Store in Arcadia, California had a difficult visitor on Monday. When motioned to leave, she proceeded to smash $500 worth of alcohol and had no desire to pay for it. She shocked both store manager Rani Ghanem and the animal control officer sent to remove her from the premises. No, the female’s actions weren’t so wild that animal control was called — she was a peahen.
The peahen, a female peacock, waltzed into Ghanem’s family-run store and perused their drink selection unnoticed until a customer inquired about “el pollo,” meaning “the chicken.” Ghanem tried to usher her outside, but between being called a chicken and being asked to leave, the peahen had no intent of departing. She flew to the top of one of the store’s shelves, prompting Ghanem to call 911 for animal control’s assistance.
The officer’s arrival was the final straw for the peahen. Ghanem described the scene. “He was trying to get it with the fishing net, and (the bird) jumped on the first wine bottle. When that happened, I was like, ‘Aw, this is about to be a big mess.'”
“He tried to get it again with the net … It just went straight diving into all the bottles. The more he kept on trying to use the net, the more it kept on flapping its wings and knocking everything over,” said Ghanem.
After 90 minutes of the peahen being in the store, they were able to escort her outside without harm.
“Yeah, he’s got expensive taste. I’m like, ‘You break, you buy, dude.’ But clearly he didn’t. He got away with it,” commented Ghanem.
It’s actually common to come across a peacock in Arcadia. They were imported from India in the early 1900s by the city’s founder. They’re a protected animal in the area; harming one results in fines or time in jail.