By IANS,
Auraiya (Uttar Pradesh) : The carcasses of 18 peacocks have been recovered from a village near here. The deaths were not natural and appear to have taken place due to poisoning, a forest official said.
The peacocks were found dead Monday in Basantpur village, around 160 km from state capital Lucknow.
The peacock, the national bird of India, is protected under Section 51, 1-A of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and its killing is strictly prohibited.
“A team of forest officials came across the carcasses while they were on a routine inspection,” R.K. Mishra, a sub-divisional forest officer (SDO), told reporters Tuesday in Auraiya.
Even as the exact cause of the peacock deaths is yet to be ascertained, forest officials said the deaths were “not natural”.
“While we are waiting for the post-mortem reports, prima facie it appears the deaths took place because of poisoning,” Mishra said.
“We have detained the man in whose fields the carcasses were recovered. Investigations are being carried out,” he added.
According to officials, peacocks are killed for their meat and feathers.