'Aggressive' Peacocks Take Over Florida Village, Poses Threat To Residents

A village in South Florida has a peacock problem, and local officials believe the solution to the problem is to give the beautiful birds vasectomies. According to WKMG, residents of village Pinecrest, which is in Miami-Dade County, have been dealing with an overpopulation of peafowl since June.

People have been complaining about the huge birds damaging their vehicles. Florida Fish and Wildlife says peafowl can strike at car windows since their reflection makes them think it's another bird. It's not just vehicles people are worried about, it's their own safety, too.

"We’re actually moving toward their mating season, where they get very, very aggressive," Commissioner Raquel Regalado told reporters. "I know everyone sees them, and they’re like, “Oh, they’re so beautiful,’ but when you have a pack of 20 squawking at 3 in the morning, it gets a little annoying, and everybody calls their county commissioner."

It's not just Pinecrest having issues with peafowl. Many news outlets have covered this issue across the Miami area for years.

To tackle the growing issue, Pinecrest will be participating in a pilot program aimed at cutting down the peacock population through vasectomies. A veterinarian will be performing the procedures before releasing them back into the wild. If successful, it could be implemented in other cities and towns across the metro area.

“We’re going to be tagging them and finding out what the population is, what is a sustainable population, and how we can ensure that we can all coexist without property damage, without the peacocks being hurt,” Regalado said.