25 peacocks found dead in Madhya Pradesh village

In a suspected case of poisoning, at least 25 peacocks have been found dead near a village in Madhya Pradesh in the last two days, a forest official said today.

The carcasses of nearly 25 peacocks, India's national bird which is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, were recovered from Rapri village under Shadora tehsil of this district, he said.

The peacocks possibly died after consuming grains laced with poison spread in the area by poachers to kill deer, Forest Department's Deputy Ranger Mahesh Malhotra said.

Their viscera samples were sent to Gwalior and Jabalpur for forensic examination to ascertain the exact cause behind the death, he said.
 

Forest officials are camping in the village to prevent recurrence of peacock deaths.