Don't feed the raccoons

My office's "backyard" is home to the largest Urban Wildscape in Texas. My cube window looks out onto it, and the cafeteria is across the pond and over the wooden bridge. It's nice to have something so serene so close to the office. The best part is that it's full of animals. There are enormous catfish filling the pond, which are routinely fed every day at lunch by people who just want to see them get riled up. One lonely duck and a couple of turtles occasionally compete with them for "people food."

Recently, we got some new residents to the Wildscape. I was on my daily morning coffee walk to the cafe for a grande Macadamia Nut blend, and a lady was leaning over the railing of the walkway offering bread to a cute little raccoon. I hadn't ever seen one in person that wasn't roadkill, so I stopped and watched. She (the raccoon) was definitely a nursing mother by the looks of her. She was very gentle and sweet with her human waitress. I was told that she had four or five babies typically in tow. By lunchtime that day, Building Services had posted signs everywhere instructing people not to feed the raccoons. Apparently they can become rabid and bite people, but I don't see it.

This morning a strange thing happened. I was walking to get a Diet Dr. Pepper and I saw a big huge bird sitting outside the window. When I got closer, I could see that he was a peacock. A peacock! How do these animals just show up in the middle of a city? I notice that there aren't any signs saying "Don't Feed the Peacock." If I can get him close enough, I'm going to do it. I have plenty of Zone Perfect bars left over in my desk drawer. I wonder if the peacock likes Fudge Graham.