CC SR 20180619 07 - Peafowl Census ReportRANCHO PALOS VERDES CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 06/19/2018
AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Regular Business
AGENDA DESCRIPTION:
Consideration and possible action to resume the City’s Peafowl Trapping Program for
2018.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
(1) Receive and file a final summary report on the 2017 Peafowl Trapping Program;
and,
(2) Review the 2018 Peafowl Census Report, and direct Staff to resume the humane
trapping and relocation of up to 150 peafowl for 2018.
FISCAL IMPACT: Resuming the trapping of peafowl for 2018, which will occur after
July 15, 2018, has been included in the draft FY18-19 budget under the Code
Enforcement program.
Amount Budgeted: $136,000 ($37,000 for Peafowl Trapping
Program)
Additional Appropriation: N/A
Account Number: 101-400-4180-5101
ORIGINATED BY: Kevin Le, Code Enforcement Officer KL
REVIEWED BY: Ara Mihranian, AICP, Director of Community Development
APPROVED BY: Doug Willmore, City Manager
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION:
On August 4, 2015, the City Council adopted the Peafowl Management Plan (PMP),
which is a City-initiated plan to humanely manage the peafowl population within the
City. This is achieved by reducing and maintaining the peafowl population to the levels
identified in the 2000 Peafowl Census Report (134 total birds, citywide). The PMP
supports the coexistence of peafowl within the semi–rural character of the City by:
• Encouraging public education and deterrent measures; and,
• Humanely trapping and relocating up to 150 birds per year in order to maintain
the 2000 peafowl population.
At that same meeting, in response to the uptick in the City’s peafowl population (based
on the 2014 census) and the increase and tenor of residents’ complaints, the City
Council directed Staff to begin the trapping of up to 150 peafowl within the following five
neighborhoods: Portuguese Bend, Crestridge, Sunnyside Ridge, Grandview, and Vista
Grande. The trapping and relocation of peafowl has subsequently occurred annually.
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2017 Peafowl Trapping Program
On September 14, 2015, the City began implementing its Peafowl Trapping Program.
The five City-owned traps, one for each of the five neighborhoods participating in the
program, are placed in the enclosed rear yard of a private residence for approximately a
two-week period, and afterwards relocated to another property within the same
neighborhood. For 2017, trapping occurred between July 2017 and March 2018, and
included the Monaco neighborhood in response to resident requests and the high
number of birds observed in the area. The table below summarizes and compares the
number of birds trapped by neighborhood between the 2015 and 2017 trapping periods.
Peafowl Trapping Summary Count
Year Grandview Vista
Grande Crestridge Portuguese
Bend
Sunnyside
Ridge Monaco Total
2015 24 48 27 27 24 0 150
2016 1 82 7 8 54 0 152
2017 0 44 0 0 20 48 112
Total 25 174 34 35 98 48 414
The 112 birds trapped during 2017 included 42 males, 51 females, 16 juveniles, and 3
broods. This year’s program resulted in fewer birds trapped partly because the City was
unable to secure volunteer properties to set up traps, as well as the effectiveness of the
program over the past 2 years and some trapping occurring in neighboring cities. As
stated in the PMP, the birds trapped were collected by the City’s vendor (Wildlife
Services) within 24 hours and relocated to ranches in San Diego, Ventura, and Santa
Barbara counties. Per the City Council-adopted PMP, Staff approved the locations to
which the birds were relocated.1
2018 Peafowl Census Report
Pursuant to the PMP, each year the City is required to conduct a census survey to
assess the current peafowl population trends, and based on past census reports,
determine whether trapping should resume. This year’s peafowl census survey was
conducted between April 1 and April 8, 2018, by Wildlife Services. The census was
conducted based on two types of observations. The first was counting roosting peafowl
in trees at sunrise, and the second was using a systematic grid pattern during the late
afternoon to evening hours. Attached to this report is a detailed description of the
census count (Attachment A). It should be noted that there may be an undercount of
approximately 10% due to breeding females and limited physical access. Similar to last
year, this year’s census includes the Monaco neighborhood because of the volume of
peafowl-related complaints in this area. The table below summarizes the results of the
1 This information is kept confidential to protect the privacy of the property owners receiving the
relocated birds.
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recent census, tracks the annual census results since 2014, and compares the 2018
census with the 2014 baseline census.
2018 Peafowl Census Summary Table
Grandview Vista
Grande Crestridge Monaco Portuguese
Bend
Sunnyside
Ridge Total
2018 Males 1 20 1 1 28 24 75
2018 Females 0 20 2 2 18 13 55
2018 Total 1 40 3 3 46 37 130
2017 0 42 9 22 40 37 150
2016 4 82 13 n/a 52 57 208
2014 Census 17 71 41 n/a 85 64 278
Difference
b/n 2014 and
2018
- 16 -31 -38 3 -39 -27 -148
% Difference
b/n 2014 and
2018
-94% -44% -92% n/a -46% -42% -53%
As depicted above, there has been an overall 53% reduction in the City’s peafowl
population, compared to the baseline census conducted in 2014 (a census did not occur
in 2015). The reduction can be attributed to the trapping that occurred last year.
Due to the current peafowl population in the surveyed neighborhoods, the anticipated
increases after the mating season, and the concerns expressed by residents in these
neighborhoods, Staff recommends that the Council resume trapping for 2018 up to the
150-bird cap2. If resumed, the humane trapping will begin on August 15th, after the
nesting and hatching season has ended, and when chicks are able to function on their
own. Similar to the program conducted for 2017, the City will reach out to the
community for volunteer properties where the traps can be located. The City will also
resume its public outreach and education program, including attending a Rancho Palos
Verdes Council of Homeowners’ Associations (CHOA) meeting in the near future.
Lastly, the trapping services will continue to be provided by the Wildlife Services, who
has been extremely cooperative and responsive to the City’s needs. The City’s contract
with Wildlife Services expires on December 31, 2018, at which time the City Council will
be asked to consider either renewing the contract or seeking new proposals.
It should be noted that the City continues to receive requests from both the Monaco and
Mira Vista neighborhoods for trapping occur in these neighborhoods. The City intends
2 The trapping cap cannot be increased unless additional environmental review is conducted, in
accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
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to continue to trap in these neighborhoods intermittently during the trapping period to
help control the overall peafowl population in the City.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
In the past, the City Council inquired about using a form of avian birth control as an
alternative to trapping and managing the peafowl population. The referenced birth
control is known in the industry as “OvoControl.” According to Wildlife Services, this
product is only approved for use in pigeons, and there may be some major issues that
would make this product ineffective for peafowl birth control and potentially detrimental
to native bird species. In addition to the fact that the pellets are only meant to be
consumed by pigeons, the product must be consumed on a daily basis during breeding
season, which would be difficult to control. Further, according to the manufacturer, the
pellets can only be placed on a flat cement surface. For these reasons, it is still not
recommended as an alternative to trapping peafowl.
CONCLUSION:
The success of the 2017 peafowl trapping program and the collection of data for the
2018 peafowl census was largely the result of the community participation. Based on
the 2018 census count and continued resident concerns in affected neighborhoods,
Staff recommends resuming trapping for 2018 up to the 150-bird cap.
ALTERNATIVES:
In addition to the Staff recommendations, the following alternative actions (or some
combination thereof) are available for the City Council’s consideration:
1. Identify alternatives to trapping for Staff to research, and for the City
Council to consider at a future meeting.
2. Direct Staff to initiate an amendment to the City Council-adopted Negative
Declaration in order to increase the 150-bird trapping cap.
3. Reduce the number of birds to be trapped for 2018 to fewer than 150.
4. Direct Staff not to trap birds for 2018.
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