Officials said they are investigating a mail carrier after video surfaced of him appearing to strike a beloved peacock on Tuesday in a Pasadena, Calif., neighborhood.
Gina Davis, a member of the community, said her husband called her after finding the peacock, known as Sugar, in the street.
Ms. Davis said that she found Sugar with a swollen eye and that he could not move one of his wings.
She said she had checked footage from a security camera that had a view of the street, a corner of her house and a neighbor’s house.
In the video, posted by the television station ABC11, the peacock appears to be on the opposite side of a fence from the mail carrier. The carrier then appears to spray some kind of liquid in the direction of the bird.
Moments later, the carrier, who was not identified, appears to hurl something toward the peacock, the video shows. Another part of the video shows the peacock directly in front of the mail delivery truck, before the carrier strikes it with an object.
Sugar then topples over before collapsing.
According to Ms. Davis, the man in the video is the regular postal worker in the neighborhood. She said Sugar followed him “a lot” while he delivered mail.
“Postal employees in this area have experienced previous encounters with peacocks, and the Postal Service has been working with Pasadena Humane regarding concerns involving the birds,” the U.S. Postal Service said in a statement.
The Postal Service said it was reviewing what happened “and gathering the facts.”
“We expect our employees to conduct themselves professionally and appropriately while performing their duties,” it said.
Flocks of wild peacocks are common in the area, and Sugar is no stranger to the neighborhood.
Ms. Davis said she lived in the neighborhood for 25 years and Sugar was around for at least four of them. There were a number of peacocks around, but Sugar was the only white one.
“The peacocks are used to people,” she said. “They walk up to houses, lie in nests and bushes of the front yards.”
It’s not uncommon for neighbors to feed the peacocks, she said, adding that some keep fruit and seeds on hand as snacks for the birds. Sugar’s favorite treat is blackberries.
The treatment and condition of Sugar left Ms. Davis disheartened. On a typical day, Sugar wanders around the neighborhood, she said.
“He loves to scream and talk and is vocal, and he’s usually the loudest,” she said. “Like our neighborhood rooster,” she added.
In an interview on Saturday, Kevin McManus, a spokesman for Pasadena Humane, said that Sugar was being treated for his injuries and continues to heal.
Sugar was eating and “moving about normally, and the swelling around his injuries has gone down a bit,” he said.
“Our veterinarians and wildlife team will continue to monitor him, and the prognosis is positive that he will be able to released back to the wild,” Mr. McManus said.
Georgia Gee contributed research
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