A tail of intrigue.
Dozens of peacocks – each worth around $2,000 – mysteriously vanished from the lush grounds of a historic California hotel, leaving the stunned staff suspecting a thief snatched their beloved birds.
Just four of the 40 exotic birds, which freely roamed the Golden State property and delighted guests at weddings and other events, remain at the Ryde Hotel in Walnut Grove after the purported heist.
“We’re not sure why anyone would do anything like this, but the staff is absolutely heartbroken,” general manager David Nielsen said of the 36 missing peacocks.
“They really meant a lot to us.”
Nielsen explained that hotel staff became aware of the potential theft on Sunday after a guest spotted two men grabbing the pricey peafowls and placing them in a cage on the bed of a pickup truck.
He said the friendly fowls were comfortable with human interaction, which likely made it easier for the alleged thieves to capture them.
The shocking incident is now being investigated as a property crime, with the male peacocks valued at $2,000 each, and the peahens at around $1,000, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
The plumed beauties have become a hallmark of the lavish getaway spot, which sits along the Sacramento River, after the owner initially brought in five to wander the grounds 14 years ago — a small group that quickly blossomed into a thriving flock.
Staff members and guests frequently offered the feathered showpieces leftover steak and salmon, with the Rafe Goorwitch, the hotel’s catering coordinator, feeding at least 15 peacocks twice a day.
He affectionally named the largest bird Alibaba, or Baba for short, because it strutted around the hotel, which displays a litany of peacock artwork, like it owned the place and often acted “like a dog.”
“I joked with the owner that we worked for Baba because he would walk through the dinner rooms, the ballrooms and the garden with this attitude that he was the boss,” Goorwitch said.
The heart-wrenching disappearance has since prompted staff to install more security cameras around the hotel as they anxiously hold out hope the iridescent creatures will return home.
With Post wires.
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