A two-year-old peacock has died after it was chased by a dog at a Fife park.
Xander, a male Indian White, had lived in Pittencrieff Park in Dunfermline for two years before the incident at around 9.45am last Tuesday.
While being chased by the dog off its lead, the bird flew into the pavilion building in the park and was fatally injured.
Police are currently carrying out enquiries.
Joe Gilmartin, chairman of the Peacocks in Pittencrieff Park (PiPP) group, said: "I'm told that a lady was walking with her dog and had a young child with her.
"The dog apparently came off the lead and chased the bird. Xander flew in a panic into the building and we think he's probably broken his neck.
"It's really upsetting and it's heartbreaking for our volunteers.
"I'm told that that the lady was devastated but when this happens most people are, they need to understand there are consequences to dogs being off-lead.
"People need to be more vigilant and I feel something needs to be done to stop this happening again, whether it's a fine etc."
Xander and his sister Katie became the latest addition to the park’s peacocks in 2019 after the successful hatch of a peachick called Louis.
The pair were brought in for company and while all three of them were very close, the siblings were said to be “inseparable”.
Joe added: "We called them the three amigos!
"But everywhere Xander went, Katie was, they're never away from each other's side. So we're a bit worried about Katie and the volunteers are in distress.
"Males start breading at three-years-old so we were looking forward to having his chicks next year. He was going to be a spectacular male.
"It's very clear that you should keep your dog on a lead. We even have new signs up and the Press has done great job at getting the message out. It feels like we're back to day one."
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "We received a report that a peacock had been killed by a dog within Pittencrieff Park, Dunfermline, at around 9.45am on Tuesday, 31 August, 2021. Inquiries are ongoing."
