A SCOTS town is in mourning after a popular white peacock broke its neck whilst trying to escape a dog off it’s lead.
Xander died instantly after flying into a glass veranda when a dog spooked the beloved bird at Peacocks sanctuary in Pittencrieff Park in Dunfermline, Fife yesterday.
The two-year-old peafowl was at “Peacock Café” with the rest of his party of peacocks when the tragedy happened.
Several peacocks flew off onto the roof after spotting a dog that was off its lead running up towards them.
But sadly panicked Xander didn’t reach the roof and instead crashed directly into the glass building.
The popular peacock snapped his neck and died instantly from the impact.
The sanctuary are now worried for Xander’s peacock sister, Katie, saying that the two “were always together”.
The sanctuary has been campaigning for over five years for an old by-law stating dogs have to be on leads in the park.
Peacocks in Pittencrieff Park posted the horrible news to Facebook yesterday, writing: “Sad news this morning.
“Xander our white bird was killed today by a dog off a lead.
“The police and dog warden are involved with it.
“We are all devastated and worried about Katie. Those two were always together. I am so,so sorry.
“Suzi x
“RIP Xander our gorgeous boy.”
The post now has over 2,000 likes and over 600 shares, with hundreds of locals paying their respects to the beloved peacock.
Carol Davis said: “So sad to hear this, there are enough signs, just so annoying that people are so thoughtless”.
Ursula MacLennan said: “Hearing this makes me so angry, there are signs everywhere telling people to keep their dogs on a lead in the park, how hard can that be?
“RIP beautiful Xander”.
Abi Evans said: “This is awful.
“What an unbelievably irresponsible dog owner, it’s not hard to follow rules and keep dogs on a lead.
“Poor Xander.”
And Christine Evans added: “Heartbreaking…why can’t folk just not obey the rules… such a beautiful bird”.
Suzi Ross, the Lead Peafowl Warden at Peacocks in Pittencrieff Park, today said: “Yesterday, Xander and six others were wandering around the Peacock Café.
“This dog came chasing after them.
“They all flew up to the roof but Xander flew into the glass veranda.
“Unfortunately his neck was broken, he died instantly.
“We are very, very upset that this happened when it was totally avoidable.
“We’re devastated watching Katie this morning because she keeps looking for him.”
“I will say, the dog owner was devastated.”
Suzi also claimed that the peacocks have been tormented at the park by dogs that are let off their lead for a number of years now.
She said: “We have a terrible time in the park with dogs allowed to run around without a lead on.
“There was a by-law in the park that dogs be kept on a lead but it had lapsed and now they don’t have the staff or the money to enforce it.
“We have been campaigning now for five years plus to get it back up and running.
“What happened to Xander was just waiting to happen.
“When I started five years ago we had two birds, now we have 25, sorry, 24, birds in the park. I have lost count of the number of times one of the birds has been chased and it’s been very close.”
Peacocks have lived in Pittencrieff Park – known as The Glen – since 1905 when the philanthropist Henry Beveridge returned to his hometown of Dunfermline from India.
The peacocks have Freedom of the City and are often spotted wandering around different areas of Dunfermline.
The sanctuary was set up at “The Glen” in 2016.
