8 www.petlife.co.nz/September, 2016
L.A.R.A Peafowl Rescue
L.A.R.A - Animal Rescue & Farm Sanctuary
Email: [email protected] Phone: 07 974 9024
www.facebook.com/LaraLittleAcres/
L.A.R.A - Animal Rescue & Farm Sanctuary is a Registered Charity dedicated to rescuing and re-homing larger farm type animals. L.A.R.A rescue animals from animal control, SPCA, other rescue groups and also from farmers and private individuals. While every effort is to rehome as many animals as possible the wonderful team at L.A.R.A also have a sanctuary. This is where non-rehomeable or sponsored animals get to live out their life in safety.
Recently L.A.R.A has been assigned to remove over 60 peafowl before a developer takes over the land and destroys them. Over the last 2 months they have trapped 39 and successfully rehomed 37. Jacqui from L.A.R.A says “I have volunteer feeders going on site daily” and this has obviously helped with “taming” the peafowl and allowing capture with as little stress as possible. While they are not completely tame the birds will come to food and can be touched.
L.A.R.A has both peacocks and peahens to rehome over the next few months as they continually catch them. If you can offer any of the peafowl a good home or assist with transport throughout the islands please get in contact with Jacqui directly.
Peafowl Facts - what you didn't know
* While many call all peafowl “peacock” this term is correctly used when talking about a male. A “peahen” is female and babies "peachicks".
* The male or rather peacock is known for its beautiful plumage and shrieking call where the peahen is more demure in grey tones.
* Peacocks can have a harem of several peahens, each female will lay anywhere from three to five eggs.
* Peafowl are ground-feeders which means they eat insects and plants. "Domestic" peafowl will need additional feed if not free to roam.
* "Bevy" is the word used to describe a family of peafowl. A group of peafowl is called a "party".
* You can get pure white peafowl due to leucism (loss of pigmentation due to genetic mutation).
* Peafowl are the largest flying birds.
* Peafowl can live for up to 20 years.