Sweet Pea the Peacock is seen walking around Nash Road in Pittston. Photo courtesy of Marla Kelley via Facebook
PITTSTON — Deb Sullivan, the animal control officer for the town of Pittston, has received unusual calls for animals on the loose such as a pet snake and llamas. But never a peacock.
There is a first for everything.
Sweet Pea the peacock has been seen running in this rural Kennebec County town with wild turkeys, blending in with them in every way — besides his bright blue neck. People have passed by and snapped photos of the unusual sight, posting images on social media.
The peacock even has his own hashtag, #SweetPeaofPittston.
“He’s going to attach himself to something similar to him,” Sullivan explained of the loose peacock. “Wild turkeys are the closest thing besides chickens and guinea. They all coexist domestically; they all sort of hang together.”
Even though peacocks are considered exotic, Sullivan said that they are legal to have in Maine because they can be domesticated.
Sweet Pea with the turkeys, second from left. Jeremiah Haws via Facebook
People within the state raise peacocks on farms, too, which is likely where Sweet Pea came from.
“They are expensive. I tend to doubt anyone turned it loose,” Sullivan said. “They start at $75, newly hatched, and can be more than $500 for other colors.”
The peacock can withstand the winter and colder months, Sullivan said, comparing the animal to chickens going in coops, or turkeys going in trees. Sweet Pea is likely eating berries, seeds and insects, she added.
If Sweet Pea’s owner wants Sweet Pea come, they’ll have to do so at night, Sullivan said.
“They’d have to find where they roost at night,” Sullivan said. “They roost up in trees and are practically comatose. When they roost at night, they are oblivious to what’s going on — that’s the time to catch them.”
But according to Jennifer Flemming, who has spoken with Sweet Pea’s owner, there isn’t an intention to catch him. (The owner declined to speak with the Kennebec Journal.)
“It seems like (the owner) is in the mindset that he’s happy (for Sweet Pea) and making his own life,” Flemming said. “It’s really cool.”
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