Glendale council favors humane relocation and feeding ban as peafowl population swells around Sahuaro Ranch Park

The Glendale City Council signaled consensus on Aug. 12 to pursue a humane relocation program and a code amendment to prohibit feeding after staff reported a growing peafowl population that is causing property damage, sanitation complaints and rising maintenance costs.

City parks director John Kennedy told the council the birds are concentrated at Sahuaro Ranch Park, the Glendale Main Library and the Glendale Adult Center and that the population has increased in recent counts. “The peafowl are beautiful,” Kennedy said, and added the growing population “is causing community and operational challenges” that are not sustainable.

The issue matters because staff documented 28 formal complaints in the last two years and tabulated mounting facility costs tied to the birds. Kennedy said library cleanup runs about $12,000 a year under current service levels and could rise to $24,000 if the city increases collection frequency; he also cited a $55,000 skylight cleaning and repair estimate, a…