More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
A Facebook page dedicated to four roaming peacocks has attracted more than 4,000 members - some from as far as Australia.
The colourful birds have been raising spirits during the UK lockdown with their adventures around Deal, Walmer and Kingsdown.
It's thought the quiet roads is a key factor behind Blanche, Gulliver, Prince and Victor venturing so far from their home in Sholden.
Their antics have been documented by members of the public on a variety of community pages on Facebook - including their day at Campbells motor garage and a run in with the police.
That was until Jo Smith, 54, from Bridgeside in Deal decided to set up a dedicated site for people to post their pictures.
'The Famous Four Peacocks of Deal' has since attracted 4,042 members, not only from Deal but from up to 55 different places around the world including Pakistan, USA, Goa, India, Singapore and Australia.
Mrs Smith said: "I set it up after they came into my garden.
"I showed my four-year-old grandson the pictures and he wanted to see more. I was traipsing through all the different pages on Facebook and it was taking ages. I thought how wonderful it would be if they could all be in one place.
"I set it up and lots of people starting posting pictures, old and new. They were laughing and discussing their antics. It was exactly what I wanted it to be - something positive.
"I had messages from people saying it had made their day.
"I was gobsmacked when we got to 300 members let alone 3,000."
She added: "A big part of it for me is about mental wellbeing. This is keeping people in touch and keeping spirits up in a time when it's so needed."
The birds are owned by Paul Louis, who lives in Hull Place, who has also been contributing to the page.
Mr Louis told KentOnline last November that he had decided not to clip their wings because it limits their ability to escape to trees, mainly from foxes.
They used to return home nightly but since lockdown this has stopped and he is keen capture them in order to give them a health check.
Two of the four have been caught but the others remain free. Their movements are being closely monitored via the page.
Due to some negative comments, the site is no longer fully public but Mrs Smith says anyone can request to join by answering three simple questions and agreeing to the terms and conditions.
Escaped animals, unusual finds and news from the RSPCA can all be found here.
