Peacock attacks toddler at Apopka park

APOPKA, Fla. – Jackson Brown, 2, keeps repeating and reliving what he went through Tuesday morning, when a peacock attacked him while he was at Magnolia Park.

"Not nice birdie," he said over and over again.

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His mother, Laura Brown, was there when it happened.

"We were at the park; we went at about 11," Brown said. "We got out of the car and the peacocks came to us. I looked down for one second and I turned back around and the peacock was on top of his head with its talons, flapping his wings, and when I went over to the peacock, it still didn't get away from him. It was just so scary to see your child in the talons of a peacock."

Brown said the talons tore through Jack's head. One of the scratches barely missed his eye. For the first time, the mom had to take her son to the urgent care. She said doctors used surgical glue to close up her son's gash, and now he has to be on antibiotics for the next week or so.

Brown said she doesn't want this ever to happen again, so she's hoping News 6 will get results and get the peacocks out.

"I think that having an animal around where the children's play equipment that has already attacked a child, that's unacceptable," she said.

But Nancy Miguelez, who visits the park two to three times a week, told News 6 the peacocks are harmless.

"They are not dangerous," Miguelez said.

However, when Brown called the park ranger to tell him what happened, she said he even confirmed the peacocks have been more aggressive.

"He said they have noticed the birds being aggressive lately," Brown said.

News 6 walked into the park ranger's office Tuesday afternoon. They said they knew nothing about the attack and referred us to Orange County.

News 6 heard back from Orange County Spokesperson Doreen Overstreet, who apologized that the attack happened, saying she wasn't aware of the incident but would check into it on Wednesday morning.