VILLUPURAM: Forest officials arrested a farmer from Puducherry in connection with the mass killing of peacocks near Vanur.
Sources said he had placed poison-mixed nuts to kill rats, but peacocks ate them and died.
The carcasses of peacocks were found at a farmland in Kondalangkuppam village near Vanur on Sunday morning.
Forest officials from Tindivanam under range officer Arumugam had probed into the matter.
The officials had collected groundnuts mixed with poison from the farmland.
Further investigations led to Desingu (62) of Sandhai Puthukuppam village in Puducherry, who confessed to the crime. He told police that he intented to kill rats which are high in numbers across the farm.
Arumugam told farmers to alert officials if their crops faced threats from animals or birds. “The farmers should inform us. It is a serious crime to kill peacocks, which is our national bird.”
Blaming farmers, activists said, “The forest officials should conduct frequent raids to find out whether poisoned nuts or other food items are placed to kill birds,” they added.
The activists also gave a complaint in Puducherry police to take action against the sale of products made of peacock feathers, as it is India’s national bird, and killing it for its feathers and meat is a serious issue.