Malibu Peafowl Saga Flies into the DA’s Hands

• Homeowner Charged with Abetting Miscreant Wild Birds

BY BILL KOENEKER

The war over the wild peafowl of Point Dume has escalated with a property owner near where the feral birds congregate being cited for disturbing the peace.

Charlene Kabrin is accused by neighbors Danny and Vera Errico and Los Angeles County Animal Control of violating penal code 415. She is scheduled to attend what is called an office hearing next week at the local Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office to address allegations that she is disturbing neighbors.

Kabrin had recently appealed to the Malibu City Council to clarify its policy towards the wild birds and was told members would direct municipal staff to inform the various other agencies about the city’s policies on wild animals.

“I saw the notice,” said Mayor Jeff Jennings. “I talked to the city manager about passing the information onto the DA and animal control.”

City Manager Jim Thorsen, on Tuesday, said he had made calls to the appropriate agencies but had not yet heard back.

On several occasions homeowners have been cited for either feeding the birds or allegedly keeping them on their property.

The issue had surfaced in 1999 and then in 2005 when the council again tackled the issue of the feral status of the birds.

During the last two occasions and the most recent, council members have intervened, insisting the peafowl are wild.

“I’m hopeful that the charge will be dismissed and the matter is over, or at least until the next mating season,” said the mayor. During the spring, the peafowls’ lusty mating calls are well known to longtime residents.

During the last series of incidents, after the city intervened, the animal control department, which contracts its services to the municipality, took a closer look at the legal interpretation of the game fowl confinement and or ownership rules and concluded the birds are not being housed or confined in any way, and because they are free to come and go at will, it was determined that staff members had acted in haste.

The animal control officer that issued the citation was not available for comment, and no one at the Agoura Animal Shelter could answer questions. The hearing officer from the DA’s office was also unavailable for comment.