Peacocks on The Pill?

A ''peacock infiltration'' in Coconut Grove has alarmed Miami city officials to the extent that they are considering distributing contraceptives to control a burgeoning population of the showy birds, reports MiamiHerald.com.  In a memo, city manager Pete Hernandez suggested that the peacock population could be contained by the use of Ovocontrol-P, a contraceptive product resembling cat food that is used to control pigeon populations in west coast cities.

''This is more like regular birth control than it is a morning-after pill,'' Hernandez said.  When consumed daily, the product does not prevent the laying of eggs, however it does render them infertile.  The effects are reversible, said Hernandez.

According to the Herald, "peacock enthusiasts" have given the proposal a thumbs-down, and at least one city commissioner thinks the city has more important problems to address.  Commissioner Tomás Regalado told the newspaper, "The stock market is collapsing. It's taking down the pension fund of the city. We can't sell the bonds, and we're focusing the resources of the city on the peacock population?"

Yet some residents feel that the birds -- or more specifically, their droppings -- present a health hazard.  Others think the city should deal with the problem by relocating the birds. (Image:  National Library of Medicine)