A man in Florida is facing a felony animal cruelty charge after police say he killed and ate two of his pet peacocks, then wrote his neighbor a letter about it.
An affidavit from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office said that Craig Vogt, a 61-year-old from Hudson, was in a dispute with his neighbor, who he said kept feeding his peacocks. The neighbor called the police when Vogt left a letter in her mailbox saying he had killed and eaten two of them.
He threatened to continue killing and eating them if she continued feeding them.
Vogt later confirmed the story to the responding officer, saying he slit the bird’s throat and cooked it in a frying pan. While being taken to jail, he said that when he was released, he planned on killing all of his pet peacocks to prevent anyone from taking custody of them, the affidavit said.
He was arrested on Sept. 23 and charged with aggravated animal cruelty resulting in excessive pain or death.
Peacocks are not native to Florida and are therefore not protected like other wildlife, but all animals are protected by the state’s anti-cruelty law. A spokesperson for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office said peacocks are considered a domestic non-native animal. If one is killed, potential charges are determined by the specific circumstances of a case.
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