A peacock beloved by most members of a California neighborhood was shot dead after an irate resident posted an ad on Craigslist seeking someone to get rid of the bird because it made too much noise.
The peacock named Azul had lived in the Azalea Heights neighborhood of McKinleyville for years before it was found dead last Wednesday, the Lost Coast Outpost reported.
Its presence in the area proved too much last month for one resident, who took offered to pay for its removal in a post on Craigslist’s ‘Wanted’ section on or around June 13.
‘The job is simple,’ the anonymous solicitor wrote in the post entitled: ‘Someone to get rid of a peacock.’
It asked for someone to get the job done ‘by any means necessary’ and featured a map of the area where the peacock was frequently spotted.
After discovering the ad following the peacock’s death, heartbroken residents set out to unmask the poster and bring them to justice.
The search zeroed in on a man who lived at one of the homes in the map and was identified by the Outpost as Ragen Tilzey.
Tilzey told the newspaper he didn’t know the peacock was dead and refused to confirm whether he was behind the ad.
A peacock beloved by most members of a California neighborhood was shot dead after an irate resident posted an ad on Craigslist seeking someone to get rid of the bird because it made too much noise. The ad (pictured) asked for someone to get the job done ‘by any means necessary’ and featured a map of the area where the peacock was frequently spotted
After discovering the ad following the peacock’s death, heartbroken residents set out to unmask the poster and bring them to justice
The peacock (pictured) had lived in the Azalea Heights neighborhood of McKinleyville for years before it was found dead on Wednesday, the Lost Coast Outpost reported
‘The bird came here about 4 months ago, no one knows from where, and no one here owns it,’ the post read.
The author claimed that the peacock had a noisy call in the morning, which woke them up at dawn, calling it ‘loud as a car horn’.
‘I put in ear plugs and put a pillow over my head…sometimes this work, sometimes not,’ the person complained.
They promised to pay for the removal, writing: ‘Please contact me so we can form a strategy to eliminate this bird, and also to agree on how much you will be compensated.’
They also attached an annotated satellite image, which showed where the peacock could be found.
The ad’s wish was fulfilled on Wednesday when the peacock was found covered in blood with a gunshot wound to the lower breast. The bird appeared to have an entry wound, but no exit wound.
Melissa and Mike Glass said the peacock, who they called Azul, had arrived at their home about six years ago and ‘adopted’ them, often returning to their home and roosting in trees nearby.
‘He comes for the company but stays for extra treats,’ Melissa told the Local Coast Outpost, still speaking in present tense after the bird’s death.
The ad’s wish was fulfilled on Wednesday when the peacock (pictured) was found covered in blood with a gunshot wound to the lower breast
They learned of its death after a resident at a seniors-only mobile home park found it in her yard and went to tell the Glasses.
‘She ran over and could barely talk,’ Mike said.
‘It’s really sad,’ Melissa added. ‘It looks like he was up there for a while.’
Mike believes ‘the bird just bled out slowly for a couple hours.’
Kelsey Radant also mourned the bird’s death, recalling seeing it with her daughter near the seniors-only mobile home park where Kelsey’s father lives. She and the residents called the peacock Mr. P, while her daughter called it
‘It was a very communal peacock,’ Radant said. ‘It makes the rounds and says hi to everybody.’
After the Glasses learned of the bird’s death, they found a friend’s post on Facebook that linked to the deleted Craiglist ad.
The image preserved by the Facebook post had the title of the ad, the satellite image annotated by the person who posted the ad and a blue icon from Google Maps that appeared to show where the person who posted the ad lives.
The Glasses claim the blue icon pointed towards a man who they previously had trouble with, including battles regarding the peacock. He even allegedly asked them to relocate the peacock recently.
‘He knew it’s ours,’ Melissa said. She added of the relocation request, ‘We all said no.’
The man also allegedly said he was an ‘animal lover,’ which the Glasses took issue with based on the Craigslist ad.
The Outpost was able to confirm the identity of the man who lived at the house with the blue icon as Tilzey.
‘I’m not answering anything unless you can tell me if a crime has been committed,’ Tilzey said when approached by the newspaper.
He claimed he didn’t own a firearm and describing alleged disputes with neighbors as ‘circumstantial evidence’ before hanging up the phone.
Neighbors called authorities after the dead peacock was found, but it’s not clear if a crime was committed.
‘When [Mike] talked to Fish and Game, they asked: “Was it your pet? Do you have a cage for it?”‘ Melissa said. The state’s fish and wildlife laws don’t protect peacocks.
Someone at the sheriff’s dispatch center also told Mike that not much could be done because the peacock wasn’t caged.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office did decide to look into the incident, though.
‘Depending on the facts of the situation, if the peacock was found to indeed be shot, whoever [is] responsible could face charges of discharge of a firearm near a residence and even animal cruelty if the peacock was shot out of malice,’ spokesperson Samantha Karges told the Outpost.
The Glasses are considering the possibility of a civil suit and have contacted an attorney.
‘It is appalling to me that there are no consequences for someone taking a hit out on our pet,’ Melissa said. ‘And the person who lives under that map marker knew very well that it was loved by many.’