Peacocks: A Threat to FloMo?

Photo+via+NancyMedina.com

Photo via NancyMedina.com

David Trujillo, Guest Writer

Everyone knows of the peacocks that live on Sagebrush Drive. The ones that strut about without a care in the world. And while many choose to admire them for their beauty, we at Flower Mound High School see them for what they really are: a threat. Hundreds, if not thousands of people take that road everyday. How long will it be before someone suffers the consequences? How long will it be before that becomes, not a road for the people, but a road for the peacocks? 

Despite their colorful plumage, peacocks are the lions of the bird world. They are aggressive. They are fiercely territorial. They are dangerous. To have them walking about without fencing is a risky practice, especially when students use that road to walk to and from school. “Yeah, once I was walking down that way and one of them looked at me weird,” says incoming freshman Daniel Trujillo. “They’re creepy.” We as a community cannot continue to practice reactivity when faced with a problem. Before someone gets hurt, or even worse, is killed, we must figure out a way to keep the peacocks off the road

And when it comes to local drivers, things are much more complicated. “Once, I was in the car with my mom and one of the peacocks refused to get off the road. We had to honk at it for a few minutes. I only had one shoe on, but I was ready to get out of the car,” says Ava Clayton. Their arrogance is dangerous, not only to the peafowl, but to the people of Flower Mound. Hitting a 20-pound object while going 20 mph is not something that should be laughed at. One can sustain serious damage to their car and their livelihood. And even if one were to escape serious physical harm, the financial and legal repercussions are massive when it comes to hitting one of these animals, with fines reaching up to $7,000. Why should someone have to pay? Isn’t it really the peacock’s fault for standing in the middle of the road? Or worse, what if you tried to stop? What if you stopped the car, saving the peacock’s life, but endangering your own life and the lives of the drivers behind you? Simply put, having peacocks blocking the flow of traffic just doesn’t make sense. 

Finally, if we have learned anything these past 2 years, it’s that disease can pop up from pretty much anything, anywhere, at any time. Peacocks are no exception to this rule. According to the CDC, peacocks can succumb to a species of bacteria called Chlamydia psittaci, which is spread via bird droppings. Coming into contact with infected bird droppings can, in some cases, lead to Psittacosis, which, in terms of symptoms, is similar to a severe cold. “I don’t want to touch bird poop,” says local John C. Lester. Exactly John. No one wants to touch bird poop.

The situation is a simple one. Peacocks are dangerous and expensive. To have them roaming about is risky. We aren’t saying that they should be euthanized, but we are saying that they can’t stay. There are many areas in or around Flower Mound that are better suited for raising big birds.