11 peacocks found dead in MP village forest dept launches probe

Jhabua (MP), Jul 10 (PTI) Eleven peacocks were found dead near agriculture fields in a forest area of Jhabua district in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday, prompting the forest department to file a case and launch a probe, officials said.
The birds were found dead in Dhebar Badi village of Thandla tehsil, a forest official said.
"On receiving the information about the incident, the forest department staffers reached the spot and brought the peacock carcasses to Meghnagar. Their post-mortem was performed in the veterinary hospital in Jhabua and their viscera samples were sent for examination," the official said.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Jhabua, Sunil Sulia, said a case was registered against unidentified persons and investigation into the incident was launched.
The carcasses were cremated with the permission of a local court, he said.
The Petlawad, Thandla, Jhabua tehsils in the tribal dominated Jhabua district is known to have a large number of peacocks.
Farmers spray pesticides to protect their crops from animals and birds. Many times, peacocks die after consuming such crops, an environmentalist said.
District Environment Vahini convenor Dilip Singh said, "No concrete project is being implemented for the protection of peacocks in the district. As a result, such incidents keep happening every now and then."
The forest department should create a sanctuary for the protection of peacocks, he said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)