Oamaru residents up in arms over noisy peacock

Oamaru's best known peacock, George (or Hank, as some call him) struts his stuff at a South Hill house earlier this month. Photo / Supplied

Season two of the "screaming peacock drama" on South Hill has begun for an Oamaru woman.

Last summer, Barbara Byers contacted the Otago Daily Times saying nobody was taking responsibility for a peacock on the loose in her neighbourhood.

The peacock, dubbed George by some residents and Hank by others, screamed "like a child being beaten" every night.

The bird went quiet in April and the Waitaki District Council's customer services group manager, Richard Mabon, said attempts started in February to catch it had been called off.

On Tuesday, Mrs Byers contacted the ODT to say she was "up in arms" about the "slack" response from the council since the bird began "screaming again" three weeks ago.

"I was hoping like hell it was finished," she said.

"Why don't they shoot the bloody thing? It's little old laid-back Oamaru - if it was in Dunedin or Christchurch, it would have been dealt with long ago."

Meanwhile, the council announced this week it was seeking public input on its General Bylaw review.

The bylaw, last reviewed 10 years ago, bans the keeping of "any noisy animal, bird, or poultry" that will cause a nuisance to residents in the neighbourhood and says when that happens, removal of the animal or hive can be required.

Policy and communication manager Mike Roesler said birds, roosters and cats were three "front-of-mind" issues for the review, which would become a more formal process next year.

The bylaw had rules to guide the community on what were not acceptable activities "that may be harmful to people, offensive or a nuisance".