(WKMG/CNN) - A Central Florida mother is asking Orange County officials to remove peacocks from a park after she says her son was attacked by one of them.
The child's mother, Laura Brown said her son, Jackson Brown, was attacked Tuesday morning at Magnolia Park in Apopka.
"We were at the park; we went at about 11," Brown said. "We got out of the car and the peacocks came to us. I looked down for one second and I turned back around and the peacock was on top of his head with its talons, flapping his wings, and when I went over to the peacock, it still didn't get away from him. It was just so scary to see your child in the talons of a peacock," said Laura Brown.
She said the bird's talons tore through Jack's head, and one of the scratches barely missed his eye, forcing her to take Jackson to the urgent care. She said doctors used surgical glue to close up her son's gash, and now he has to be on antibiotics for about a week.
Brown said she doesn't want this ever to happen again, so she's hoping local news will help her have the peacocks removed.
"I think that having an animal around where the children's play equipment that has already attacked a child, that's unacceptable," she said.
But Nancy Miguelez, who visits the park two to three times a week, told WKMG-TV that the peacocks are harmless.
"They are not dangerous," Miguelez said.
However, when Brown called the park ranger to tell him what happened, she said he even confirmed the peacocks have been more aggressive.
"He said they have noticed the birds being aggressive lately," Laura Brown said.
WKMG walked into the park ranger's office Tuesday afternoon. They said they knew nothing about the attack and referred us to Orange County.
But Tuesday night, a county spokesperson said she would look into it first thing Wednesday morning. Hours later, nine signs were up at Magnolia Park.
The signs read "PLEASE USE CAUTION. WILDLIFE MAY BECOME DANGEROUS AND/OR AGGRESSIVE"
"I'm so sorry to hear about her son," said Orange County spokesperson, Doreen Overstreet. "We placed one at each of the four playgrounds, one at each of the four pavilions and one at the campground entrance."
Laura Brown was happy to hear about the signs, but feels the peacocks still need to go, adding she feels like they will attack again.
"I am happy that you got results through this and there has been immediate attention even as far as today with the signs," she said. "At least some movement forward, I just hope they don't regret their decision and ultimately I feel like that might at some point. So that's concerning."
The county says for now they will stick to the signs and monitor the peacocks behavior.
Courtesy WKMG via CNN Newsource
