Residents upset over removal of peacocks

Amelia Island neighborhood fights over peacocks

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. – Some Amelia Island residents are planning on making some noise at the Nassau County Commission meeting on Monday.

The residents are trying to get back what they say has been an essential part of their community for decades, the peacocks that live around their area.

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Several peacocks that called their neighborhood home were recently unceremoniously taken away by a trapper. Some residents think others who don't care for the birds had them removed.

People like Pam Bell, who is leading the charge to get them back, said the birds added a special ambience to their part of the island and they're badly missed.

"We have a lot of unique creatures here. We have gopher turtles in the dunes of course at the beach and we have all sorts of birds call this home, but we have a special bird and it's a peacock," Bell said. "They've been here since we've been here and before."

Melinda McGrath has lived in the community for seven years. She said it seems really empty without them.

"I thought, 'Gosh, these peacocks have been here forever, longer than most of the people around here,'" said McGrath. "How could that be legal that somebody could take them and put them somewhere else?"

State Rep. Janet Adkins and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are working on a possible solution.

The Nassau County Commission meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 13.

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