A peacock is causing problems on SR 410. He’s territorial and has many aliases
Residents in Bonney Lake have sounded the alarm over a peacock that was seen wandering near state Route 410, just a bit too close to the busy road last week.
“Peacock sighting on 410 at the intersection of South Prairie Road and 198th. Hopefully it finds its way home,” Reneé Mendez-Peloli wrote in a Facebook post on June 30 on a Bonney Lake community group page.
The post received 44 comments with some identifying the peacock as a neighborhood bird who lives in the area.
“His name is Mr. P or Kevin. He’s been out on the road a lot lately,” one comment read.
Another resident wrote “That’s Pete” while someone else wrote that his name is Kevin, and that he lives behind the MultiCare emergency room in Bonney Lake.
Carmen Palmer, spokesperson for the city of Sumner, told The News Tribune via email that Metro Animal Control did get reports about the well-known peacock wandering around eastbound SR 410. Once animal control got there, the wandering bird had already moved on.
“Apparently, per Facebook, his name is either Kevin or Pete; we’re not sure which,” Palmer wrote. “We have an idea of the area where he lives, but the neighborhood is very protective of him. No one will tell us where he resides so that our officers can talk to the owner(s) about proper care for Kevin/Pete’s safety as well as the safety of others, particularly drivers on SR 410.”
Palmer said there is a common misconception that animal control officers are trying to take animals away, which hinders their ability to work with owners.
“If Kevin/Pete’s owners read this, or maybe some neighbors, please help us work with the owners to find solutions that better keep Kevin/Pete from going walk-about. His love of wandering around SR 410 (is it a Petco run?) is simply not the best for his safety and for the safety of others,” she wrote.
The question remains: Who is this peacock, and what is his name?
The News Tribune spoke to Tera Jones, the peacock’s owner when the bird first arrived in Bonney Lake over 20 years ago.
“So .... About 20 years ago my soon-to-be ex-husband bought three peacocks. They were in a large cage in the backyard till a horrible storm ripped off the top and all three got loose,” Jones wrote via Facebook Messenger.
Jones wrote that the female birds (peahens) escaped and never returned. The remaining peacock, who went by Mr. P, stayed in the area.
She wrote that Mr. P is also known as Kevin and Jarold.
“He is not a pet by any means anymore but has been known to enter the ER at times as well as people’s houses,” Jones wrote.
The bird likes to play with neighborhood chickens and ducks and dogs, Jones wrote. He also helps keep the bug population down in the 94th Street East area, she said.
“He beds in the trees above my neighbor’s house every night and has his normal loop to visit the critters every day. He doesn’t always go out to the main road unless he is just wanting to show off,” Jones wrote.
Jones warned that Mr. P/Kevin/Jarold has become wild, and that no one should approach him. He is territorial “in many ways,” she said.
