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Photo courtesy of Cleo DeMarco

Generally, it’s the peacock with the beautiful fanned tail that attracts the most attention. But on June 14, it was the considerably less flamboyant peahen (I’m tempted to name her Hillary) and her four chicks who took center stage in a situation that ruffled a few feathers and had some crying “Fowl!”

The Press-Telegram covered the initial story on June 14 and printed a follow-up on June 18 about the social media flap and twitter—Twitter and Facebook, actually—regarding the situation and players therein as they skewered or praised ACS and the caller or offered advice and opinions. In a peanut shell, the mother hen and four babies, with no male in sight, showed up at an apartment complex near the Colorado Lagoon. A neighbor alerted animal control, and an officer was dispatched to the area.

“The adults have legs like springs,” explained Ted Stevens, Animal Care Services (ACS) manager. Stevens said that the officer corralled the chicks and spent 20 to 30 minutes patiently trying to catch the peahen but ultimately gave up, fearing that the mother would run toward the busy streets near the area. The chicks were taken to a rescue sanctuary, and at this writing, Hillary’s still carrying on her campaign in the area.

“The outpouring of compassion and concern for these birds by the community has been truly amazing to witness,” said Cleo DeMarco, a resident of the complex who is now quietly conducting an effort in tandem with Stevens to contain the mother and relocate her to the same sanctuary that her chicks live in.

DeMarco is passionate in her attempt to rescue the mother, particularly without resorting to using a trap, which a couple of wildlife advocates agreed would harm the animal’s legs. After the initial attempt, the chicks were returned to a containing pen near DeMarco’s home in an attempt to trap the mother.

“The mother saw them, and then kids ran by and scared her,” Stevens said. He added that DeMarco spent the better part of the week trying to catch the peahen, but she finally lost interested in the chicks, so Stevens picked them up and returned them to the aviary.

DeMarco is sending daily updates to Stevens regarding any progress.

“For now, we are taking a moment to regroup,” she said. We need things in our neighborhood to calm down and an opportunity for Mama to rebuild trust with us. Once we can ensure a safe and peaceful location to further attempt our efforts, we intend on constructing a new plan to casually lure Mama into a containment area so we can relocate and reunite her with her babies, where she will be able to live her life safe from harm. If it proves impossible to do this in a way that guarantees no potential harm to Mama, then we will have to cease our efforts and let her be as she previously was before all of this happened. We are still hopeful however, and are not resigned to giving up just yet.”

Despite the ruffling of feathers and the throwing of eggs—I’m sorry. I really cannot help myself, but I’ll stop—I feel that despite the unsatisfactory outcome, the intention on all sides was to help the peahen. I learned a couple of things about peafowl while I spoke to people involved in the effort to capture the hen—enough, at least, to let readers (and me) know what to do and what not to do in similar situations. One thing I learned is that peafowl aren’t really wildlife—or at least, they straddle the line between wild and domestic on their four scaly toes. According to Rebecca Dmytryk, owner and operator of the 501 (C)(3) Wildlife Emergency Services organization, they can be likened to roosters, or in her words, “free-roaming feral chickens.”

Further, the area where the family showed up is near a saltwater lagoon, which, Stevens said, is not the natural environment of peafowl. Dmytryk also told me that the peahen needed three weeks to find a nest and that there had to be a dad somewhere. The June 14 P-T story stated that the caller to ACS mentioned that the peahen was “bleating and screeching loudly,” and the males aren’t known for their demure behavior either. OK, so where’s Bill? as Hillary must be wondering. And how did the rest of the family get there in the first place?

The stories that have lately come out about the peacocks being murdered in Rolling Hills Estates (read NPR’s excellent coverage here) have led some of us consider fowl play at work here—good Lord, oh never mind. The spcaLA reported that 50 peafowl have been reported dead in Rolling Hills Estates, some apparently accidental but others by firearms, crossbows or marbles launched by slingshots. Another, whom the staff has dubbed Flipper, was found by a resident in that area.

“Flipper was flailing and unable to take flight,” the press release read. “Flipper appeared to be emaciated and suffering from an internal ailment caused by a human.”

It may be a stretch to think that Flipper is the missing dad and that the same person who injured him relocated the mother and chicks to the lagoon, but there certainly are unanswered questions about where the peahen came from and if the male fell to the same fate as the other peafowl in Rolling Hills Estates. Dmytryk emphasized the love/hate relationship between peafowl and human residents. The birds are beautiful and wonderful to watch, but their piercing shrieks, desire to snack on plants and uncontrolled population have caused neighbors to take drastic and cruel action. She feels that the family should be brought back together, but only if the entire community wants them back.

“Ultimately, they’re better off in a sanctuary-controlled environment if the neighborhood doesn’t want them there,” she said.

peachicks

Peafowl chicks at sanctuary. Photo courtesy of Long Beach ACS.

DeMarco is thinking along the same lines.

“Our ultimate goal is to be able to safely contain Mama,” she said. “It is my belief that Ted Stevens and everyone directly involved in the rescue/reuniting attempt have the best of intentions, with the priority being the health and safety of the peacocks.” 

The chicks are thriving in the sanctuary, and if Mama is indeed reunited with them, the most that they’ll do at this point is to ask her for college money. But she’ll be safe, and if there is, by some obscure chance, a male prancing around, she won’t be hatching any more chicks who’ll be subject to the same problem as the one in Rolling Hills Estates. In the meantime, DeMarco is asking that the public not be involved so that she can continue to work with ACS in trapping her. She also hopes that this situation spotlights the problems with homeless pets and displaced wildlife attempting to coexist in our communities and wants to have more programs in place to accomplish this.

We as a community can certainly learn from this by contacting the many volunteer organizations devoted to helping wildlife. I do support our shelter, and frankly, the caller did the right thing by alerting them even though the officer wasn’t able to catch the peahen. It certainly was a better action than the ones residents of Rolling Hills Estates are resorting to. For you, the reader, I’ve compiled a list of bird- and wildlife organizations and resources. Click on the links for information and education; if you know of any others, please post them.

“I could not have slept tonight if I had left that helpless little creature to perish on the ground.”
(Reply to friends who chided him for delaying them by stopping to return a fledgling to its nest.)
–Abraham Lincoln

Virtually Pets

Btuch and Dude

Butch and Dude are still awaiting a home

In the last Scratching Post, two swell orange kittens by the name of OJ and Sunny were featured for adoption. I’m delighted that a couple of Scratching Post readers fell in love and took them home.

These guys here really need a chance. Their names are Butch and Dude, and they’ve been featured before. Their human mom had died of brain cancer and a spinal tumor a couple of months ago, and they were given time at Animal Care Services. An older cat who’d gone with them was pulled for rescue, but these two were on their last days before euthanasia when humane educator Deborah Turner and Zazzy Cats Kitten Rescue made a concentrated effort to get them into rescue. They’re temporarily hanging out at Go Dogs Go Grooming Salon, 3440 Los Coyotes Diagonal in Long Beach. Contact info is (562) 421-9797,

[email protected]. They’re 4-year-old neutered twin brothers with opposite personalities (one’s laid back while the other’s playful) and are beautiful and easy to handle.

“To all of you kind hearts in the rescue world, perhaps you can help me spread the word so that they can be secure in a home again,” Turner said.

Kibble

Update on Cats Rescued from Vacant House

Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS) is currently continuing to provide veterinary care for several dozen cats and kittens removed June 1 from a vacant house on the 3700 block of Marna Avenue. Most of the cats were sick, nonresponsive or underweight.

When the LBPD notified ACS about multiple cats apparently stored at the house, ACS responded and witnessed multiple cats in apparent distress. One was deceased, and dozens showed signs of severe illness. After a thorough review, ACS took possession of the 108 living cats under California Penal Code Section 597.1, which prohibits animal cruelty, abuse and neglect. An ongoing investigation of the situation is being conducted.

“These animals were suffering needlessly from lack of proper medical care,” said ACS manager Ted Stevens. “We’re fulfilling our obligation to intervene and make sure that these animals are treated humanely.”

The cats are still at ACS being evaluated by medical staff. Many of them are being treated for illness and other medical conditions. Sadly, a second cat died, and several who were sick to the point of suffering had to be humanely euthanized. The public will be notified when the remaining cats are available for adoption.

Pet Projects

Saving the Neece 8

Brandy Gaunt is known as a wildlife rescuer and she also conducts trap-spay/neuter-release for feral cats, but she occasionally takes a walk on the domestic side. She recently was walking her dogs on East Neece Street when she saw what she thought was a pregnant Siamese cat on someone’s front porch. She took the dogs home and went to meet up with the cat’s owner to have a chat about spay/neuter. The cat, it turned out, wasn’t pregnant but nursing, and she had a lot of company.

“This poor homeowner had been feeding strays forever and didn’t know anything about spaying and neutering,” Gaunt said. “All of a sudden, within a couple of weeks of one another, six cats had suddenly given birth to almost 30 kittens.”

The problem hadn’t been visible to Gaunt or any of the other neighbors because the cats generally confined themselves to their caretaker’s backyard. Gaunt is working on trapping all of the cats and has placed several mothers and kittens in foster homes. Sadly, several of the kittens were quite ill, and a couple died.

Gaunt is now focusing on the medical bills of the remaining cats—the Neece 8. There have been heavy vet bills, as they all have had serious eye infections, and three of them needed an eye removed. They’re getting stronger every day, but help is needed to pay vet bills. To find out more about the kittens, click here.

Fund-Raiser for Friends of Long Beach Animals and Long Beach Animal Care Services, Thursday, June 26, Veggie Grill, The Marketplace in Long Beach, 6451 E. PCH, 4–10PM

It’s time to eat your nice vegetables and fund humane projects, the new ACS clinic, animal welfare and other good things. Mention the flier above or print it out and hand it in; 50 percent of the check will help fund these efforts. Even if Veggie Grill didn’t make delicious dishes out of vegetables, you’d still want to go and help, right?

spcaLA July Foster Class, Saturday, July 19, spcaLA PD Pitchford Companion Animal Village, 7700 E. Spring St. (in El Dorado Park), Long Beach, 10AM–Noon, FREE

Help a cat or dog better his or her chance to be adopted by offering a temporary loving home. SpcaLA is seeking foster parents for pets of all ages and needs. Anyone interested should complete and submit the application available at this link. SpcaLA provides the supplies—you provide the love and care.

FOLBA’s 20th Annual Benefit for the Animals, Thursday, Aug. 7, Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach, 6:30PM–10:30PM (approximately), $30

Tradition? You want tradition? Have we got an event for you! It’s Friends of Long Beach Animals’ (FOLBA) long-running traditional evening of classical theater and entertainment. The evening begins at 6:30 p.m. with a reception featuring “paw food” and wine, Ralph Brunson at the piano, a dine-out raffle featuring local restaurants, door prizes and a silent auction, with merchandise and services generously contributed by local businesses. The Playhouse production begins at 7:30 p.m. with Fiddler on the Roof, the Sholem Aleichim-inspired classic musical about survival in the face of changing family values and religious persecution. This year’s Hero to Animals will also be celebrated at the event.

All proceeds from ticket sales and auctions benefit Friends of Long Beach Animals, a nonprofit all-volunteer organization dedicated to humane education and the welfare of animals in shelters and homes in the Long Beach/Signal Hill area Tickets may be ordered by calling (562) 988-7647 or by visiting the following Long Beach vendors:

Stray Cat Alliance Team Fund-Raiser for Strut Your Mutt, through Sept. 1, Online

Stray Cat Alliance (SCA) is presenting its major fund-raiser for the year as it calls for team members and supporters of the SCA team in Best Friends’ Strut Your Mutt fund-raising dog walk (click on the link). The walk’s mission is to help homeless dogs, and cats will not be left out. The walk itself will take place in the evening at Will Rogers State Historic Park hWill Rogers State Historic Park; SCA’s Strut Your Mutt volunteer coordinator Debbie Rankin likes to call it “Date Night with your Best Fur-end.” Because cats prefer to stay at home, you can bring your dog or a friend’s dog to the event with a $30 donation, or if you can’t make it, you can join as a virtual team member or donate to the fund-raiser. Information about and registration for the fundraiser can be found here.

The goal is to raise $25,000 by Sept. 1.

The walk is the only all-volunteer fund-raiser that SCA is holding this year to help offset operation costs and help as many cats as possible. Expenses were huge this year; they included Operation 74, in which SCA pulled 63 out of 74 hoarded cats from the shelter before they could be euthanized, vetted them and had them treated. Some are still being boarded. The organization also engages in daily trap/spay-neuter/ activities; those who can be adopted will be fostered; that takes funds, too. Rankin said that their working capital is at an all-time low. 

Your donation is tax deductible, and SCA uses all funds to support their good work.

19th Annual Wag n’ Walk Benefitting the Animal Care Center, Saturday, Sept. 27, Eisenhower Park at Seal Beach Pier, Main Street and Ocean Boulevard, Seal Beach, 9AM–2PM. Registration Information Online

Join Grand Marshall Justin Rudd and his dogs Riley and POTUS in supporting the animals in residence at the Seal Beach Animal Care Center! Bring your two- and four-legged friends to stroll through Seal Beach and enjoy our animal expo, with fun for the entire family! Register online, or just come for the fun!