Florida Man Charged With Animal Cruelty For Killing, Eating Pet Peacocks

By Micheal Chukwuebuka

A man was arrested in Florida after he was accused of killing, cooking, and eating two of his pet peacocks in an act of spite against a neighbour.

Craig Vogt, 61, was taken into custody on 23 September and charged with aggravated animal cruelty, a third-degree felony, according to an affidavit from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, as reported by the Miami Herald.

Investigators said Vogt admitted to killing the birds because his neighbour continued feeding them, despite his objections. He had allegedly written to her warning that he would keep killing the peacocks “to prove a point” if she did not stop.

The affidavit stated that Vogt confessed to “cutting the bird’s neck out of spite, bleeding it out, and later cooking and eating it in a frying pan.”

While being transported to jail, Vogt allegedly told deputies that he intended to kill the rest of his peacocks upon release to prevent anyone else from taking them. The affidavit did not specify how many peacocks he owned.

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office has not commented on the fate of the remaining birds. Court records show no attorney listed for Vogt.