
Dozens of peacocks and peahens believed stolen from Northern California hotel
After a customer at the Ryde Hotel mentioned Sunday seeing two men grabbing one of the birds and putting it inside a cage on the bed of a pickup truck, the staff did a count and realized only four of their exotic birds remained, David Nielsen, the hotel's general manager, said.
'We're not sure why anyone would do anything like this, but the staff is absolutely heartbroken,' Nielsen said.
Authorities are investigating the case as a property crime. The male birds are valued at $2,000 each and the peahens at $1,000 each, said Sgt. Amar Gandhi, a spokesperson at the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office. He didn't share any additional information.
The owner purchased five of the birds to wander the grounds 14 years ago. They reproduced 'to the point that they became a signature of the hotel,' Nielsen said. Peacocks are common in Art Nouveau design.
Staff fed them leftovers of filet mignon, prime rib and salmon, and over time, the birds became tamer. They got used to people, and the employees began seeing them as pets, even naming some of them.
Rafe Goorwitch, the hotel's catering coordinator, said he fed a group of about 15 peafowls twice every day. He named the biggest one Alibaba, Baba for short, because he would walk through the hotel like he owned the place.
'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.
Peacocks tend to be aloof, but Baba 'became like a dog,' he said.
Since the news about the missing birds became public, people have been calling the hotel with tips and possible sightings, including reports of neighbors with new peacock pets, Nielsen said.
Hotel staff are hoping the birds are found and returned home. For now, the hotel has added better and more surveillance cameras, and there are plans to add more fencing.
'They really meant a lot to us,' Nielsen said.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CBS News
13 hours ago
- CBS News
Staff at Sacramento-area hotel believe dozens of missing peackocks were stolen
Dozens of peacocks and peahens known for wandering the grounds of a historic Art Deco hotel in the Sacramento Delta are missing, and the hotel staff said this week that they believe the birds were stolen. After a customer at the Ryde Hotel on Sunday mentioned seeing two men grabbing one of the birds and putting it inside a cage on the bed of a pickup truck, the staff did a count and realized only four of their exotic birds remained, David Nielsen, the hotel's general manager, said. "We're not sure why anyone would do anything like this, but the staff is absolutely heartbroken," Nielsen said. Authorities are investigating the case as a property crime. The male birds are valued at $2,000 each and the peahens at $1,000 each, said Sgt. Amar Gandhi, a spokesperson at the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office. He didn't share any additional information. "The peacocks have been here for about 14 years, and they were brought in by the new owner of the hotel. Nielsen told CBS Sacramento. " And we were very excited to get them. We've had generations of them over the years, and they became part of the family." Peacocks are common in Art Nouveau design. Staff fed them leftovers of filet mignon, prime rib and salmon, and over time, the birds became tamer. They got used to people, and the employees began seeing them as pets, even naming some of them. Rafe Goorwitch, the hotel's catering coordinator, said he fed a group of about 15 peafowls twice every day. He named the biggest one Alibaba, Baba for short, because he would walk through the hotel like he owned the place. "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. Peacocks tend to be aloof, but Baba "became like a dog," he said. Since the news about the missing birds became public, people have been calling the hotel with tips and possible sightings, including reports of neighbors with new peacock pets, Nielsen said. Hotel staff are hoping the birds are found and returned home. For now, the hotel has added better and more surveillance cameras, and there are plans to add more fencing. "They really meant a lot to us," Nielsen said. Walnut Grove is a delta town located in southern Sacramento County, about 28 miles south of the city of Sacramento.


New York Times
18 hours ago
- New York Times
‘I Want to Clear My Name': Deported Migrant Takes First Step to Sue the U.S.
A Venezuelan migrant took the first step on Thursday toward suing the United States for what he says was his wrongful detention and removal to a notorious prison in El Salvador. Neiyerver Adrián Leon Rengel, 27, spent four months in the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, where he said he was beaten and abused. He filed an administrative claim on Thursday with the Homeland Security Department, accusing U.S. immigration agencies of removing him without due process. It is the first such claim to be filed by one of the 252 Venezuelan men who were expelled and sent to El Salvador in March, his lawyers said, and is a necessary step before taking legal action against the U.S. government in federal court. Mr. Rengel, who is seeking $1.3 million in damages, was released last week as part of a large-scale prisoner swap between Venezuela and the United States. He is now living in Venezuela. 'I want to clear my name,' he said in a phone interview late Wednesday from his home in the state of Miranda. 'I am not a bad person.' The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately comment on Mr. Rengel's claim. The detention of Venezuelan men in El Salvador in March was one of the first high-profile efforts to fulfill President Trump's campaign promise of mass deportations. His administration has accused the migrants of belonging to a Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, and his administration has used the Alien Enemies Act, a rarely invoked wartime law, to justify capturing and removing many of the men to El Salvador. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.


Bloomberg
18 hours ago
- Bloomberg
Trump Ally Sues Powell Demanding FOMC Meeting Public Access
An investment firm headed by a supporter of President Donald Trump sued Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and other Fed officials demanding public access to monetary policy meetings. James Fishback's Azoria Capital said in a suit filed Thursday that the decades-old practice of holding Federal Open Market Committee meetings behind closed doors violates government transparency laws. The fund asked a federal court in Washington to require the Fed to open its July 29-30 meeting.