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After an uproar on social media about the killing of a peacock by an agency in LaGrange, including rumors and misinformation, the LaGrange Police Department has acknowledged shooting the animal after nonlethal attempts were made to capture the bird that was reportedly attacking people.

According to police, Animal Services was called to Emory Southern Orthopedics on April 28 about a peacock attacking patients at the location. While wild animals like peacocks don’t typically fall under the purview of animal control, they responded to the call for service as a matter of public safety.

Police say they were attempting to contact the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for assistance, when an animal control officer was attacked by the peacock. Animal Control attempted for quite some time to get close enough to capture the bird using a catch pole, but it would fly away from officers, but not leave the area. Police made several attempts at this with no success. 

Officers also attempted to stun the peacock with a TASER and later a beanbag gun to capture it, but due to the animal’s small size, neither was effective.

Police say they had to use their bodies and vehicles to prevent the bird from re-entering the property of Southern Orthopedics as well as Lee’s Crossing Apartment Complex. Being near an elementary school around dismissal time also played into the incident, officers say.

“The wild animal had, at this point, repeatedly shown its capacity for violence, proven that its natural defensive and territorial instincts were still very much present and significantly stronger than any perceived attempts at domesticating this animal over the years.  It was our fear that vacating the area with the animal already agitated would have dangerous consequences for children arriving home from school and patients who are already less ambulatory, based on the very nature of services that Southern Orthopedic and Southern Surgery provide,” LPD said in a statement about the incident.

The urban location, safety and backdrop are all major considerations before deciding to fire a live firearm at the animal, but after two direct hits from the beanbag, the peacock was able to fly significant distances. After additional bean bag rounds were unsuccessful in stopping the animal, lethal rounds were used, killing the bird.

According to police, the department has responded to similar calls for service regarding the peacock for more than a year and a half, involving personal injury and damage to personal property caused by the bird.

Police note that DNR does not respond to these types of calls. As peacocks are not indigenous to the United States, nor are they endangered, they are not protected by Federal or Georgia Law. Police also say no local resources, such as the Wild Animal Safari or local zoos, are willing to take this peafowl into their facilities. 

The Troup County Marshal’s Office says they were not involved in the incident.

Meanwhile, many people on social media are crying foul as they had more pleasant experiences with the bird.