Ryde Hotel’s 36 Peacocks Disappear: Pickup Truck Heist Meets Prime Rib Luxury
Ryde Hotel peacock theft stuns Sacramento: 36 jewel-feathered birds, valued at $58,000, vanished—witnesses saw them caged in a pickup as “How much is a peacock worth?” and “Why do hotels keep peafowl?” spike. Catering coordinator Rafe Goorwitch recalls, “Alibaba strutted like he owned the lobby.”
Not your average hotel mascot: the Ryde’s peacocks dined on prime rib and patrolled art deco hallways, now prompting “Are peacocks legal pets?” and “How to report stolen exotic birds?” to surge. Neighbors claim new pet peacocks, while surveillance grows and hope flickers for their return.
One peacock, Alibaba, once ruled the lobby; now only four remain, as $2,000 birds fed steak vanish into the Sacramento Delta’s twilight, leaving a trail of feathers and baffled hotel guests.