Earlier this week, a petition was created to highlight the plight of peacocks in the Clovelly, Fish Hoek, Glencairn and Noordhoek areas. The petition was created by animal rights organisation Beauty Without Cruelty to “prevent their senseless killing”.
The plight of these magnificent birds was brought to attention when a group of concerned residents filed several complaints in relation to the “noisy” birds. The residents are requesting that they be managed. This specifically made about the ones roaming on the Country Club greens.
The Beauty Without Cruelty campaign states that the birds have a right to be there, saying: “One cannot move into an environment surrounded by protected or wild areas, and expect the resident wildlife of any description to keep office hours to suit a few people.”
Speaking to CapeTalk, Paul Stoner, manager of the Closely Country Club, said that the peacocks were introduced to the area by a resident. The resident left a breeding pair behind, and as a result, more peacocks were born onto the greens.
According to Beauty Without Cruelty national spokesperson Toni Brockhoven, the organisation believes that some residents have catapulted rocks at the peacock, as well as thrown them with marbles.
“They have been there for a very long time. Unfortunately, some residents are getting involved. They decided that they need to fix and manage things. Nature is capable of sorting itself out,” she said in the petition’s description.
Brockhoven has urged the public to sign the petition ahead of a meeting to be held pertaining to the fate of the peacocks on November 24.
You can sign by clicking here.
Picture: Change.org