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  The Straits Times, 13 Jan 06
 Sentosa peacocks attacked, probably by wild animal

ALMOST half the peacocks on Sentosa were found dead in their enclosure yesterday - victims, it is suspected, of a stray dog or a monitor lizard.

Twenty-four of the island's 59 birds were slaughtered, with puncture wounds on their sides and backs. A few others in the 50m by 4m fenced enclosure have gaping wounds and are unlikely to survive.

The discovery almost sparked a panic when a worker on the island spotted the dead birds after lunch. He thought the worst - that they had died of bird flu - and called The Straits Times.

The caller, who declined to be identified, said: 'The peacocks are friendly. They would come near me when I walked past. But this time, they were unusually quiet. I went closer and took a look, and realised they were all dead.' Sentosa Leisure Group staff were alerted.

Beach operations executive Low Keng Kwok, 43, and his staff investigated and found signs of a scuffle - the enclosure was littered with feathers. 'We also found one of the dead peacocks outside the fence,' said Mr Low. 'When we looked closer, we saw a hole under the fence which could have allowed the attacker inside the enclosure. 'The attacker is most probably a monitor lizard or a stray dog. A cat is unlikely to attack another animal so many times its size, and so many of them.'

There are about 20 wild monitor lizards on the island. They can grow up to 2.5m long, almost the size of a baby crocodile, said Mr Low. The carnivorous animals usually live on a diet of wild ducks, birds and eggs.

Mr Low said the peacocks have been in captivity since August last year to receive vaccinations and blood tests. 'They were ready to be released but we kept them in because of the rain, and because of the recent bird flu scare in the region. Now they are dead before they can be free.'

Ten carcasses have been sent to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority to make certain they did not die from any disease. The rest will be incinerated.

The peacocks have been an attraction on the island since the 1970s. They roam freely on the island and visitors are allowed to pet them.
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