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Los Angeles Issues $1,000 Fine For Feeding Peacocks After Residents Complain About Screams And Bird Droppings

Reuters

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Los Angeles county officials are warning against feeding feral peacocks after residents complained about property damage and sleepless nights caused by the brightly colored birds, it was reported Monday.

The county residents have expressed their concerns with the birds blocking traffic, destroying gardens and pooping on roofs and cars, according to The Los Angeles Times. “They’ve overpopulated in some areas, to where they became a nuisance to some that didn’t agree with them being there,” Cesar Perea, director of animal cruelty investigations at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, told NPR.

“The animals are said to have piercing screams,” NPR reported.

The complaints have led to the LA Board of Supervisors’ unanimous vote in early June to outlaw feeding peacocks on the county’s streets. Intentional feeding of a bird may now result in a fine of $1,000 or up to six months of imprisonment, according to NPR. (RELATED: ‘Big Mess’: Peacock Rampages Through Liquor Store Destroying $500 Of Wine)

Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who pushed for the ban, cited similar anti-feeding measures already in effect in the cities of Pasadena and Arcadia. While there is no exact figure of the peacock population, the county officials claim that the number of birds has exploded in recent years, The Los Angeles Times reported.

“They actually do just fine without us feeding them,” Barger said, adding that feeding them “is creating a larger population that is breeding, and it is impacting the communities,” The Los Angeles Times reported.