Peacocks are poached in TN

CHENNAI: Poached by gypsies and poisoned by farmers, the peacock is disappearing from the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. And, in the absence of any census or surveillance, the forest department appears to be clueless.

After Rajasthan and Gujarat, Tamil Nadu is one of the states with a large peacock population-especially in Tiruchi, Madurai, Theni, Virudhunagar and Coimbatore districts where they are found in the open. But, with thousands of the birds being poached for meat and medicine the state is slowly losing the colourful species protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act.

‘Narakuravas’ (tribal gypsies) and locals poach peacocks for their oil which is an ingredient in many Siddha medicinal preparations. The oil is prescribed for joint paints and is also considered an aphrodisiac, while peacock meat is clandestinely served in a few small eateries to “preferred customers.” DNA encountered several gypsies selling peacock oil in Madurai and Theni.

“From the blood stains at the tip of tail feathers being sold in markets across the state, it is clear that they had been plucked and not shed by the bird. There are locals ready to kill a bird for Rs 50, while it fetches up to Rs 1,000 for the end-seller. The males, which weigh more and have long tail feathers, are more vulnerable to poaching. It is sad that there is no programme to protect the national bird,” says wildlife conservationist J Ranjit Daniels.

Another threat to peacocks comes from villagers who poison the birds which try to enter their agricultural farms. In March, nine peacocks were found dead near a farm in Coimbatore. “The farmers sell the carcass for a price,” says a forest department official who confides that the farmers are usually let off with a warning. The government does not even have a count of peacocks. “A survey done two years ago found about 5,000 peacocks outside the sanctuaries and we presume there is an equal number in the sanctuaries,” says R Ganesan, chief wildlife warden, biodiversity.

The state government last year considered setting up a sanctuary for peacocks. This, feels principal chief conservator of forests Sukhdev Thakur, is not feasible.

“The bird cannot be protected in isolation of the ecosystem. A census of peacocks - unlike that of tigers and elephants - is also impossible as the birds keep moving frequently,” he says.