Killinghall’s last remaining peacock looks set to be re-homed outside the village.

Roaming peacocks have been a common sight in Killinghall for about 50 years.

But about a dozen are believed to have been killed last winter by a disgruntled villager annoyed by their screeching.

It left just one peahen, which has prompted concerns she is lonely and would be happier elsewhere.

One of the missing Killinghall peacocks

Now a resident has contacted Lucie’s Animal Rescue in Thirsk about rehoming her.

The rescue centre has agreed to help and a group of villagers are trying to work out the best way to capture the peacock, which has its own Facebook page.

The resident leading the campaign, who asked not to be named, said:

“When I read there was only one female left I felt upset for her. It didn’t feel right that she was all alone.

“There is nothing Lucie won’t do for an animal so I know if our girl goes to her she will have the best care for the rest of her natural life.”

Read more:

• Have missing Killinghall peacocks been secretly killed?
• Bilton’s Peter the Peacock living his best life in Lancashire

The villager said the end of bird flu restrictions made it a good time to act before winter sets in.

Lucie has suggested somebody regularly feeds the peacock so she keeps going back, which would make her easier to capture.

But peacocks are big and strong and difficult to catch so some residents have found a large cage they hope to entice her into. The resident said:

“It would be good to avoid rugby tackling her if we can but I suspect that might be the only way.

“So far only a small group of ladies have come forward with offers of help and ideally we may need a couple of strong guys to help – if it comes down to rugby tackling her! Then the plan would be to drive her to Lucie at Thirsk.”

The village peacocks roosting in a tree before their disappearance.

Like many villagers, the resident was incensed by the peacocks’ mystery disappearance. That so many vanished overnight and no remains have been found suggests they were slaughtered.

The resident said:

“I was really angered by what happened to the others. They were doing nothing wrong, just living their lives as a family group.

“I used to love hearing the males calling across the village when I was in my garden.”

Peter the Peacock, who was regularly seen in Bilton, was re-homed in 2021 after getting injured.