Miami suburb to give peacocks vasectomies to curb population

Florida has found a new way to cut the peacock population.

A growing flock of the colorful fowl has ruffled some feathers in the village of Pinecrest — where the birds’ shrill squawks and scratching on cars and roofs have led to the hiring of a veterinarian to perform peacock vasectomies.

“Peacocks are bona fide polygamists,” Dr. Don Harris, the veterinarian hired to perform the procedure told the New York Times. “We’re going to catch one peacock and probably stop seven females from reproducing. It’s going to have an exponential benefit.”

The fancy-feathered creatures have roamed Miami’s suburbs for decades, due to unique protections on the big birds that have allowed the population to boom.

Peacocks have long divided Miami-Dade County residents. Some love the bright, multi-colored birds while others complain of droppings, noise, and the damage they cause.

“They’re vocal—very vocal—at sunset and sunrise, so they can be a disturbance,” Harris told NBC6. “They poop in people’s driveways, sidewalks—and people have complained about slip and fall accidents.”

The county, which has laws in place that makes it illegal to kill or capture peacocks, told municipal governments they could submit “peafowl mitigation plans” as complaints over the big birds mounted.

Pinecrest’s vasectomy plan was then approved, giving the village an exemption from Miami-Dade County’s strict rules and a way to begin curbing the massive flock of peacocks.

Commissioner Raquel Regalado, whose district includes Pinecrest, agreed to pay about $15,000 for veterinary equipment to perform the vasectomies. The village has budgeted $7,500 a month to implement the plan.

“The numbers have grown so much,” Regalado told the Miami Herald. “This is an important first step.”

Shannon del Prado, a member of the Village Council told the paper that even with the sterilization campaign, peacocks will remain a prominent part of the Pinecrest landscape.

“It’s like stray cats,” she said. “We’re not eradicating them. We’re just controlling the numbers.”

In about a month, Pinecrest plans to take part in a pilot program, hoping to curb the population by giving peacocks vasectomies. If the plan is a success, it could be implemented in other communities, including South Miami and Coral Gables, Regalado said.