Woman Moves to Florida, Wakes Up to ‘Wildlife Sanctuary’ on Her Front Lawn

A video of a Florida resident’s hilarious encounter with “a parade” of wildlife on her lawn has gone viral on TikTok.
The video was shared by Laura (@um_hulo) and has received over 500,000 views since it was posted on August 23.
A note overlaid on the clip says, “POV [point of view]: You moved to South Florida and wake up to a wildlife sanctuary on your front lawn.”
The footage was captured in Cutler Bay, a town in the Miami metropolitan area, according to a location shared with the post.
A voice in the clip says, “What is that? Is that an opossum? Is that a baby opossum? What the hell is that?” as the camera points toward a small opossum-like animal running on a dirt patch, with a cat running along it nearby.
A sudden gasp is heard as the voice says, “Oh my [expletive] God” as the camera shows a peacock on the other side of the lawn, with feathers spread out wide in its full glory.
As wild as this may seem, it is not unusual to see peacocks and opossums around in Florida.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) says the state’s only marsupial is the Virginia opossum. While they prefer woodlands with lots of cover and nearby water, opossums are “common in urban areas, as they are attracted to almost any type of available food, including garbage, pet food, or cultivated fruits and vegetables,” the FWC says.
Peafowl, which includes peacocks (males) and peahens (females), are classified as a domestic species in Florida, according to the FWC.
The commission explains: “Peafowl have become established in municipalities across the state by escaping from properties or by being released. Unfortunately, they can exhibit nuisance behaviors when their numbers multiply or when they are being fed by people.”
The FWC warns: “The release of non-native wildlife is prohibited in Florida,” adding that it advises against releasing domesticated species, such as peafowl, into the wild.
“Permission from the FWC is not needed for homeowner’s associations (HOA) or private landowners to take possession or remove peafowl on their properties,” the commission says.
“If removal of the peafowl is desired and there is no local ordinance or regulation prohibiting their removal, the landowner or HOA can remove the peafowl themselves or hire a third party to do that work for them,” the FWC says.
“What the hell?” the voice in the TikTok clip says amid hysterical laughter. “This is not normal,” the voice continues as the camera pans toward the other side of the peacock.
A caption shared with the post simply says, “Just Florida things.”
TikTok users were amused by the scene in the clip.
User @alldonedown said, “This is friggin hysterical!!!” and erica abel wrote, “This got crazier by the second.”
Sassycyn wrote, “A lot going on lmao,” and _MandaSue wrote, “Just missing a few geckos and a falling iguana. Man, I miss in Florida. Peacocks are loud as hell too.”
TeeWeezie said, “Stumbling upon a parade is wild work!”
Literallynotthat wrote: “Native Floridian here and I too have been ambushed by a random peacock.”
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. The video has not been independently verified.
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