Villagers bury peacock killed in Christmas hit-and-run
DOZENS of villagers on Jersey have held a funeral for a wild peacock killed in a hit-and-run over Christmas.
Some 40 mourners witnessed the bird being buried in a coffin outside Grouville’s parish hall. It was about 15 years old and had been nicknamed Henry Percy after being adopted as the village’s unofficial mascot.
Islanders, who were served blueberry muffins, its favourite food, during the ceremony could be seen laying flowers and some of its feathers on the coffin.
Constable Mark Labey, who led the service, said the peacock was “one of the most beautiful animals that God has created” and a “marvel of evolution”.
Henry Percy had a habit of running alongside roads and, occasionally, straying into them, Mr Labey told attendees.
He finished his speech by asking everyone to make their best peacock sound, a loud “leon”, as a final send-off, the Jersey Evening Post reported.
Wendy Durell, a mourner, told the newspaper that Henry Percy was given its name by her father, Martin. She said: “My dad was proud of him and hand fed him” and that “people liked to see him”.
She recalled feeding it blueberries from her breakfast and peanuts before it went to roost for the night, and how children nearby would feed it before going to school.
Henry Percy was propped up at the side of the road by a parishioner after being run down during the festive break. As peacocks are wild animals, there was no requirement for the driver to stop and Mr Labey said it would be pointless to try to discover whose car struck the bird.
“I’ve known him for a long time,” Mr Labey said. “His voice carried all over the parish… He was kind of the welcomer to Grouville.”
“I only saw him display a couple of times, and to see that is an absolute wonder of nature. Millions of years of evolution have come to this.”