MAKAHA, Oahu, Hawaii -- The Humane Society is trying to find homes for some unwanted peacocks after reports that staff at a Makaha townhouse is killing the birds.

The Makaha Valley Plantation has a permit from the state allowing it to kill peacocks that are considered a "health hazard."

The Humane Society cited the apartment complex earlier this week, after an investigator found three peacocks in cages without access to food or water.

One townhouse owner said the management at her complex should not kill the birds.

"The peacocks were here before we were, and they'll be here when we leave. We've been given a chance to live with them and appreciate them, and I think we should seize that," resident Heather Waites said.

General Manager Otis King refused to comment.

Wild peacocks have roamed Makaha Valley since the 1800s. Some residents have complained about the birds' loud cries and their droppings.