Surrey’s Peacock Standoff

In Surrey, B.C., a bird renowned for its beauty became the centre of an ugly dispute. In the quiet Sullivan Hights neighbourhood, a group of peafowl divided a community for over a decade. 

The story began when Ryan Craig and his wife bought a home and quickly noticed three peacocks roosting nearby. At first they were charmed, but soon became overwhelmed as this population exploded to some 100 birds. They and their fellow residents soon faced damaged property and a messy, noisy battle with the animals. 

In his documentary, A Foul Feud, CBC Vancouver journalist Rafferty Baker takes us into this divided community where neighbours were no longer speaking to each other, a tree was illegally felled and bylaw officers called in to deal with the peacocks — and the residents. 

The documentary was produced by Rafferty Baker and Joan Webber and originally aired on The Current in 2018.

Storylines is part of the CBC Audio Doc Unit