Bird lovers far and wide offer peacock sanctuary

By Will Hoover
Advertiser Leeward O'ahu Writer

People and organizations from around the Islands and as far away as Texas have volunteered to provide sanctuary to a flock of Makaha Valley peacocks that may be killed because some homeowners say they have become a nuisance.

The love-hate relationship between peacocks and Makaha residents may end amicably. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

"We've gotten several phone calls from people about the peacocks," said Pamela Burns, president of the Hawaiian Humane Society. "Even from somebody who was interested in helping to pay for relocating the peacocks."

A representative of the Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch in Medina, Texas, said the ranch would be willing to accept up to a dozen or more of the birds if they could be safely shipped to the facility.

Waimea Falls Park, which already has a population of about two dozen peacocks, said it could accommodate dozens of the birds.

"We've got a bird sanctuary here at Waimea Falls Park," said Ray Greene, president of Waimea Management, which manages the 1,875-acre park on O'ahu's North Shore. "If we could help these people to not have to euthanize these birds, I would be more than glad to try. I'd just like to see a happy ending to this story."

Feral peacock removal

Some board members and homeowners at Makaha Valley Towers complain about the peacocks' loud mating calls and their droppings. The number of peacocks around the property has grown over the years, said Ted Pond, president of the homeowners association at the Towers, primarily because of people feeding the birds.

The idea was to reduce the number of birds by more than half, Pond said.

But the plan, the first feral peacock removal project of its kind in the state, was temporarily put on hold following an outcry from residents who consider the peacocks part of the area's distinct heritage. Peacocks have inhabited the valley since the mid-1800s when King Kamehameha V gave a flock to Makaha rancher Owen Jones Holt.

Pond said he just wants to accommodate the wishes of a majority of the home owners. The next move is to survey all owners about the issue. The process could take several months, he said.

According to Pond, the Towers' board signed a $4,000 contract with Wildlife Services to capture and euthanize more than half the peacocks in a humane manner.

Wildlife Services district supervisor Mark Ono said his agency needed to euthanize the captured birds because the state wildlife biologist at the Department of Land and Natural Resources doesn't want the peacock nuisance problem transported from one location to another.

Greene said there wouldn't be a nuisance problem at Waimea Falls Park. He said he had spoken to Pond about taking some of the birds. Pond was receptive to the idea and expressed his appreciation, Greene said.

"He said, 'Gee, how do we move them to you?' And I said, 'Ted, that's up to you. I'll provide the venue, but this isn't a to-go order.' "

Greene said the park has plenty of room for as many peacocks as Pond wants to bring in.

However, a spokeswoman for The National Audubon Society, which is scheduled to take over management of the park from Greene's company on June 26, said bringing in Makaha peacocks would cause problems.

"Generally speaking, we would want to foster habitats for native species over introduced species, and peacocks are introduced species," said Diana King, project manager with the National Audubon Society. "We would probably not volunteer to take in outside peacocks. There are already a lot of peacocks on the property.

"But, all of that is to be resolved at a later date. We'll have a conservation steering committee to help us figure out dilemmas like that."

Burns said she hopes the Makaha peacocks can be rescued.

"If enough people on this island and the Neighbor Islands have an appropriate home for the peacocks, where they'd be welcomed, maybe they wouldn't need to be trapped and euthanized," she said.

Reach Will Hoover at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8038.