Reprieve for Sussex village peacocks threatened with ‘humane dispatch’

A group of peacocks threatened with ‘humane dispatch’ after roaming a South Downs village now look to have won a reprieve.
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Police launched a hunt for the five peacocks who have been ruffling feathers in Henfield for the past year and they called on villagers to help.

But a public outcry erupted after officers from Sussex Police Rural Crime Team said they might have to ‘humanely dispatch’ the birds if they caught them and could not re-home them.

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And while some in the village called to ‘save the peacocks’ others branded the birds a nuisance because of the noise and garden mess they made.

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But now, with several offers of new homes, villagers have launched a fundraising campaign to pay for food and care for the peackocks.

And Police Sargeant Tom Carter, in a letter to villagers, confirmed a new home had been found.

He said: “Our priority is to capture the birds alive and to rehome them to a local landowner.” He said officers were liaising with experts.

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Meanwhile, villagers are hoping to raise £1,000 to help pay for food and care for the birds.

In a crowdfunding campaign, they say: “Weʼre raising £1,000 to Help Save The Henfield Peacocks. All money raised will be used to help pay towards feed, vets and any other needs the peacocks have.”

They go on: “They have been here for well over a year but recently there have been a couple of complaints about them.

“However most of the villagers love to see them going about their business and during this year they have made people smile, something that was much needed during these tough times.”

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They add: “Please donate whatever you can afford. Thankyou in advance, Henfield Village,”