Albino peacock on the lam; let it live its life, MFPD says
An albino peacock has being roaming across Marble Falls since at least April 8. Courtesy photo
An albino peacock is running loose in Marble Falls, and law enforcement is advising residents to leave it alone.
“It’s living its best peacock life,” said Capt. Jimmy Cole of the Marble Falls Police Central Investigations Division.
The all-white bird was first spotted during the total solar eclipse on April 8. The MFPD has received numerous calls about it since then.
“It’s crazy to think it’s been close to about two months since the first-known sighting of him,” said MFPD Animal Control Officer Bri Freegard.
People have seen the peacock at several locations in Marble Falls, including on Industrial Boulevard and at shops along U.S. 281.
“It’s kind of all over,” Cole said. “People seem to enjoy it.”
Without adequate equipment to catch a bird of its size, police officials have decided to let the peacock roam around town until peafowl breeding season ends in September.
“It’s too soon to tell if we’ll have to catch it or if it will fly back home,” Cole said. “We just want everyone to enjoy it for now.”
The peacock’s origins remain a mystery.
“We’re not 100 percent sure where it lives,” Cole said.
If you cross paths with the peacock, don’t feed it, Freegard advised.
“People think that is the safest and most honorable thing to do, but it’s still a wild animal like deer and geese and ducks at the parks,” she said. “You never know what could happen. We certainly don’t want the public to put themselves in a situation where they could possibly get injured or hurt.”
ABOUT PEACOCKS
The peacock, also known as a peafowl, originates from India, which declared it the national bird in 1963.
Like most fowl, peacocks are omnivores with a wide-ranging diet that includes small snakes, insects, fruits, and berries. In Sanskrit, peacocks are known as “mayura,” which loosely translates to “the killer of snakes.”
Peafowl normally walk or run, but they can fly. They typically prefer to fly in strong, short bursts to escape predators. They also take flight to reach the tops of trees to roost at night.
Wild peacocks live 15-20 years in the wild; domesticated peafowl can live up to 40 years.