Peacocks vanish from historic Ryde Hotel

KCRA, RYDE HOTEL, CNN

By Andres Valle

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    WALNUT GROVE, California (KCRA) — Nearly all of the peacocks at the historic Ryde Hotel in Walnut Grove have gone missing within the past week, prompting an investigation by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.

The Ryde Hotel, located deep in the Delta, has been home to a particular group of birds for at least a generation.

“Here at the historic Ryde Hotel, we’ve had peacocks for at least a generation or so,” said Rafe Goorwitch, the catering coordinator for the hotel.

These exotic birds were a common sight, from sitting in the trees to walking through the hotel lobby. The staff even named one of the peacocks “Alibaba.”

An inside joke among staff was that they worked for Alibaba because Baba, one of the peacocks, would walk through the hotel like he owned the place.

“It was not uncommon for him to walk through the ballroom before a wedding or even the dining room,” Goorwitch said.

This week, hotel employees began to notice that their peafowl were gradually disappearing.

“As we walked the property, we discovered that after the last three to four days, we’ve lost 37 of our 40 peacocks,” said David Nielsen, the hotel’s general manager.

Nielsen has worked on the property for 21 years and said the birds have become a part of everyday life for the staff, making their disappearance even more upsetting.

“The entire staff is pretty devastated,” Nielsen said.

There is concern that the peacocks might be used for cockfighting. Nielsen got emotional as he told KCRA about his worries.

“It’s possible that these peacocks are being used for cockfighting, which is horrible. So, we’re hoping we get them back,” Nielsen said.

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the case, as hotel staff suspect someone has been stealing the birds.

“These peacocks, where you’re going into the thousands of dollars per animal, but it is a property crime. These are all felonies. It rises above that threshold. So no, 100%. It’ll be investigated by our Property Crimes Bureau,” said Sgt. Amar Gandhi.

For now, staff continue to search for their beloved birds.

“This area is known as the heart of the Delta, and it doesn’t feel like it right now. There’s just not a whole lot I can do except to say, please bring them back,” Goorwitch said.

The hotel has installed new surveillance cameras across the property, and anyone with information is asked to call the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.

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