THERE are moves to make it official and grant Dunfermline's famous peacocks the freedom of the city.

It's a status many people believed the birds, resident in Pittencrieff Park for more than a century, have enjoyed since 1907.

But after the Press asked the question in the summer, Fife Council and local historians confirmed there was nothing in the archives or history books to say they do.

Provost Jim Leishman promised to investigate and, this week, Lindsay Thomson, head of legal and democratic services at the council, said: "We've been discussing the best way to proceed with this.

"We'll be asking council to agree our proposals early in the New Year."

After the shocking attack on the aviary at the end of May, which left one peacock dead and another injured severely, the people of Dunfermline and further afield showed their love for the birds by raising more than £16,000 to pay for repairs and improvements, including one company putting in CCTV for free.

The volunteers from the Peacocks in Pittencrieff Park group, who look after 16 birds at the sanctuary in the Glen, felt that making it official and granting freedom of Dunfermline would help in the recovery process after the traumatic experience of the break-in.

A spokesperson had said: "I asked Jim Leishman about the freedom of the city as there's no certificate or key or anything that people can see.

"Getting it renewed and up and running again would be a good thing to do."

Councillor Leishman, the Provost of Fife, said a search of the council archives from 1907 could find nothing to confirm the peacocks have the freedom of the City of Dunfermline officially.

He added: "Our peacocks bring a great deal of joy and pleasure to those who see them as they are already free to wander our park and our city streets.

“We will certainly investigate whether it’s within our gift to make that freedom official.”

Now it looks like that will be done in 2023, which would be another feather in the cap for Dunfermline after being granted city status this year.