Postal Worker Charged After a Beloved Pasadena Peacock Was Hurt. Now the Bird Has a New Home

A postal worker has been charged in relation to an incident that sent a peacock to the humane society. According to Pasadena Humane’s Facebook post, Sugar, the peacock, was brought in for medical care at the end of August. “We’ve received a lot of messages over the last few days asking about the peacock known locally as Sugar,” the caption of the post said. “We know many people in the community are concerned about him, and we’re incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support and well-wishes for his recovery.”

Pasadena Humane went on to explain that the injured bird had been brought in with several minor wounds as well as some localized swelling. “We also took X-rays, and thankfully, nothing appears to be broken.” 

Pasadena Humane later shared updates on Sugar’s recovery and announced his relocation. As for how Sugar was injured, Pasadena Now says that a postal worker has been charged in connection with the incident. 

Sugar Was Closely Monitored During His Recovery

According to Pasadena Humane, Sugar spent quite a bit of time at the facility. “His prognosis is good, and he has been mobile, responsive, and eating and drinking normally,” a post about his health explained. “Our team will continue to monitor him closely as he heals.”

The message went on to say that Animal Control was investigating the situation and looking for “any additional footage neighbors may have of the incident.” Because the investigation is ongoing, Pasadena Humane said it was limiting how much information the agency was willing to share about how Sugar was injured. 

A Postal Worker Was Charged With Animal Cruelty

The LA Times reports that a Pasadena homeowner captured footage of a postal worker and the peacock. “The peacock was just standing in front of his truck,” Gina Davis told the outlet. “He got out of his truck and had a club or stick or something and hit it on the head or neck.

Charanjit Singh is the 48-year-old accused of the attack, according to the LA Times, which says that the man was charged on Oct. 8 with a misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals. 

Sugar Has a New Home on a Northern California Ranch

An Oct. 9 update from Pasadena Humane said that Sugar was finally well enough to be released. However, the agency said that it made the hard decision to relocate the bird to a private ranch in Northern California instead of returning him to his Pasadena home. 

“As he’s become more familiar with his new space, he’s been enjoying preening in the sun, foraging for bugs, and dipping his feet in his very own kiddie pool,” the update said. “His caretaker reports that he’s even made fast friends with the Pekin ducks who also live on the ranch. We’re glad he’s settling in so well!”

While his relocation may not be the news that the local community wanted to hear, it sounds like experts believe this will be a better long-term solution for Sugar.