Officials said that 11 peacocks were found dead at Pechara in Ghaziabad’s Loni area on Monday morning, adding that it might be a case of phosphate poisoning from a nearby agricultural field.
“Ten peacocks were found dead when our team visited the site… One of them was found to be severely dehydrated and later died. There were no signs of injury to the birds or any obvious signs of poaching, etc. Upon inquiry, our team found that phosphate mixed with water had been used in one of the nearby agricultural fields yesterday [Sunday]. “It is suspected that the peacock may have consumed the chemical,” said divisional forest officer Isha Tiwari.
The bodies were sent for autopsy. Tiwari said: “An autopsy will be carried out under the supervision of veterinarians, and samples of the viscera will be taken for further analysis. The owner of the agricultural field was also summoned and said that phosphate is used in his field to grow radishes, and we are awaiting the autopsy report.”
Assistant Commissioner of Police Siddharth Gautam said that the reason for the death of so many peacocks is still unclear. He added: “The Forest Department was immediately informed of the incident, and its teams visited the site, and we are considering taking the necessary action.”
The peacock is India’s national bird and is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Killing or poaching the national bird is punishable by imprisonment of up to seven years.
