Dunfermline peacocks given Freedom of the City

The peacocks of Dunfermline have formally been granted the Freedom of the City after laying declare to its parks and streets for over a century.

The brightly colored birds have been launched to Pittencrieff Park in 1905 when philanthropist Andrew Carnegie requested his good friend Henry Beveridge to convey them again to his hometown from India.

Beveridge is believed to have returned with two breeding pairs – and there have been peacocks within the Fife metropolis ever since.

Dunfermline was granted metropolis standing 2022- and the peacocks are the primary residents to formally obtain the honour.

When they first arrived in Dunfermline the birds have been recognized for recurrently stopping site visitors on the High Street and have been even noticed wandering about close by villages.

But with out anybody assigned to take care of them, that they had a precarious existence.

That modified practically 10 years in the past when Suzi Ross was requested by her brother, who was park supervisor on the time, to regulate them.

A brand new sanctuary was opened in 2016 as a part of a wider £1.6m mission to revive Pittencrieff Park to its former glory and the inhabitants has grown ever since.

Peacocks in Pittencrieff Park is staffed by volunteers and funded by public donations, and Suzi now has the grand job title of “lead peafowl warden”.

Currently there are 21 peafowl – a time period that encompasses each female and male birds – together with eight peachicks, 4 of which hatched earlier this month.

It prices £150 every week to feed all of them.

Freedom of the City is an historical honour bestowed by metropolis authorities – however it might not make a lot sensible distinction to the peacocks who’re already free to go just about the place they please in the course of the day.

“We do have two birds specifically, Andrew and Hamish, who do wish to go wandering,” senior aviary group member Carlyn Cane instructed BBC Scotland News.

“They do sometimes wander onto the highway and cease site visitors. But all we ask is only for folks to be very conscious when that occurs and tell us.”

Most of the birds select to remain near the park. They return at night time to the sanctuary to be fed earlier than they fly off to roost within the park’s bushes.

Carlyn started working with the birds as a volunteer 4 years in the past. “I’m there virtually day by day and it’s a bit mad however we adore it and we wouldn’t change a factor.

“They’re so synonymous with Dunfermline and all people right here is aware of about them.

“They’re only a nice image and so they’ve been within the park for such a very long time, all people’s acquired recollections of them.”

Two years in the past the neighborhood was shocked by a break-in on the aviary involving two younger boys, aged 11 and 13, throughout which a peacock referred to as Malcolm was killed.

Another peacock referred to as Louis was severely injured in the course of the incident.

“Suzi and I taken care of Louis day and night time for six stable weeks to maintain him alive,” stated Carolyn.

It stays an remoted incident, however different threats embrace canine which are sometimes walked within the park.

“We’ve had incidents with canine however typically 90% of tourists to the park are conscious the birds are there and management their canine,” stated Carolyn.

“But the birds can get such a fright that they only fly, and they’re going to fly into home windows or partitions simply attempting to get away and that’s how they die. And it’s terrible.”

The scholar nurse even adopted one peahen who was disabled and couldn’t survive alone.

“She was identified with a type of dwarfism and her legs didn’t totally develop so she was on treatment twice a day,” she stated. “She was my child.

“I needed to prepare babysitters once I was on placement since she wanted fixed watching. However in September she slipped a tendon and that was devastating.

“It occurred very quick and we took her to the vet and he gave me the weekend to say goodbye to her. Everybody was heartbroken when she died – she was simply 16 months outdated.”

Wild peafowl can stay so long as 25 years. The male peacocks have the extravagant plumage to draw mates, whereas the females are a plainer color.

Carlyn welcomed the Freedom of the City honour for the birds, including: “They have a means of chatting with your coronary heart and curling up and staying there.

“Once you fall in love with them, there’s completely nothing you are able to do.

“It’s good that they’ve acquired the popularity of simply how vital they’re to the folks of Dunfermline.”

Fife provost Jim Leishman – former supervisor of native soccer group Dunfermline Athletic – stated the birds have been “essential” to town.

He added: “By awarding them Freedom of the City we’re recognising their useful contribution and inspiring their presence in and across the metropolis.”