Out of sight and out of mind. South Hill's sometimes screaming peacock is still on the loose, but the bird is no longer noisy at night, nor disturbing residents.
Attempts to catch Oamaru's formerly disruptive peacock had been called off, Waitaki District Council customer services group manager Richard Mabon said in a statement last week.
‘‘Council has exhausted all avenues to capture the peacock, including using a specially-designed cage, without success.
‘‘We have contacted vets and sought the advice of experts,'' he said.
In January, Roxby St residents Don and Barbara Byers, of South Hill, contacted the Otago Daily Times saying nobody was taking responsibility for the bird.
At the time, the bird would keep the Byers awake at night with midnight ‘‘screams'' that sounded like a ‘‘child being beaten''.
Yesterday, Mrs Byers said she had received a telephone call from a council officer who told her the bird ‘‘had gone feral''.
‘‘I told them that months ago,'' she said.
She was not concerned efforts to catch the bird had been called off, however.
About a month ago, she stopped hearing the bird. Mrs Byers said she believed a neighbour had dealt with the bird.
The original owner of the bird, formerly a pet peacock named George, told the ODT the bird had wandered from home last winter.
She had thought the bird was dead.
Yesterday, South Hill resident Linda Jamieson confirmed the peacock, which she has been calling Hank, was still alive and well.
Hank remained a ‘‘welcome visitor'' to her yard and got along with her cat and dog.
‘‘He's lost his tail feathers, he's looking rather bald at the moment,'' she said.
‘‘He comes in regularly to see us.
‘‘Sometimes he can be four or five days not coming and then he's back - but he's getting fairly tame.''
She said while he was quiet now, he might become noisier again in the spring during ‘‘mating season''.
But she believed, if required, she could catch the bird.‘‘I think if it all blows up again I would be willing to have a go at that, but at the moment, he's fine.''
