HOUSTON – Starving peacocks are left to fend for themselves at an abandoned restaurant.
Vargo's restaurant in the 2500 block of Fondren was a Houston icon was known for weddings, anniversaries and family dinners before it shut its doors for good in May 2012. Many Houstonians remember Vargo's for its peacocks which wandered the grounds.
The peacocks are still on site, but with no one to feed them. They are now jumping and flying over a chain-link fence. They are desperate for food.
"I just don't like to see anything neglected," said Kim Maher, who works nearby. "That's basically what's happening to these birds."
Maher works across the street and has seen escaped peacocks walking along the busy Fondren Road.
The peacocks appear to be very thin and hungry.
It's not just Maher who worries about the beautiful birds. Some who work in the area have even dropped a bag of food over the fence for the starving peacocks.
"If they're not interested in caring for the birds, I'd like to be able to get some organization that could unlock the gates and let us get the birds out to a safe haven for them," said Maher.
The SPCA and The Wildlife Center of Texas are sending someone over to check on the peacocks.
The new owners of the property, Hunington Properties, said they are working with the Houston Zoo on a plan to trap the peacocks. The zoo confirmed they did an assessment a few months ago but have not begun trapping the birds.