LACEY — Two peacocks were killed in front of the Popcorn Park Zoo Tuesday morning when they were struck by a car, according to Executive Director John Bergmann.

"Our peacocks are free range.  They stay on our side of the road. But early this morning two of them crossed over Lacey Road and unfortunately got hit by a car," Bergmann told New Jersey 101.5. He estimates they were hit about 7:30 a.m.

Bergmann said no one from the zoo in the Forked River section witnessed the incident so it's not clear what exactly led to them being hit.

"We don't know what happened. There's a little bit of a rise when you come over. Also if they're flying, it's like a deer coming out in front of you," he said.

Male peacocks can weigh 8 to 13 pounds while female peahens weigh 6 to 9 pounds.

Popcorn Park Zoo has 80 peacocks under its care, according to Bergmann. He advised drivers to be careful in the area of the zoo.

Lacey police spokesman Robert Flynn told New Jersey 101.5 that they did not receive any calls or respond to any incidents related to the zoo on Tuesday morning. However, reporting a motor vehicle incident with an animal is only required for domesticated animals and certain livestock, not wildlife.

WOBM's Shawn Michaels was first to report about the peacocks being hit.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

NJ's most and least COVID vaccinated towns, by county

New Jersey reported just short of 4 million people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 statewide, heading into the last week of May. So how does that break down across all 21 counties?

And, how can some communities show a vaccination rate of more than 100%, according to state data? Reasons include people who have moved, those who are traveling and not residing at home where the census counted them, students who may select their school residence for vaccination data and people in long-term care (or other facility-based housing) among other reasons, as explained in a footnote on the state COVID dashboard.

Best spots to pick your own NJ strawberries in 2021

More From SoJO 104.9 FM