BENGALURU: Peacock hunting is on the rise in the state with people hunting it for its meat and keeping it as pets.During a raid on a farmhouse in Byrakuri village, Mulbagal taluk in Kolar district, the CID forest cell rescued two peacocks and two peahens that were kept in captivity for the last one-and-a-half years. The four peacocks birds are reported to be in a bad condition and have been sent to Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, Bannerghatta for further care and treatment.
On Monday morning, CID forest cell sub inspectors – M S Ramamurthy and Ravi Kumar — in a joint operation with police and wildlife volunteers rescued the four birds and booked a case against the offender, Manjunath.
According to the forest cell, a case has been booked against the offender under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 under various sections for hunting and keeping a schedule 1 bird in captivity for one-and-a-half years. The accused has been remanded to police custody.
According to the sub-inspectors, the offender had been changing his statements frequently and therefore, the inquiry was going on to ascertain the modus operandi behind the illegal hunting of a schedule I species.
Manjunath is reported to have captured six birds while he was hunting for bush meat in the nearby scrub forests of his village. However, two birds died when dogs attacked them. He had kept the remaining four birds caged.
Wildlife volunteers involved in the operation say the the birds were not in a condition to be released back in the forest as they had been caged for too long.