MADURAI: In a shocking incident, as many as 39 peafowls were found dead near an agriculture field in Poolangulam village in Madurai on Tuesday. The forest department team recovered the bodies of the peafowls for postmortem. A farmer, who is suspected of poisoning the birds, is on the run.
Based on information about several peafowls laying dead near a paddy field in Poolangulam village in Karupaurani on Monday evening, the forest department team, led by the range officer rushed to the venue to recover as many as 18 dead peafowls from the locality.
On the second consecutive day, several more peafowls were found dead on the roads, fields, and near the canals. The forest department team recovered more than 21 dead peafowls from the same surrounding area. Forest department sources said the postmortem process was carried out on the recovered bodies of the peafowl and that the samples have been sent to the lab for verifying the cause of death.
Local sources stated that a large number of peafowls are usually seen in the paddy fields on a daily basis. "It is a painful scene to watch such a large number of peafowl laying dead everywhere in the area. Actions should be taken against the miscreants," they added.
Speaking to TNIE, D Gurusamy, district forest officer, Madurai, said following a primary investigation, we found that none of the 39 dead peafowls had any sort of external injuries and that the cause of their death is internal. "We have sent samples to the lab to find out the cause of death. It is suspected to be due to poisoning. Thus we have booked the paddy field owner where the peafowls were found dead. The accused person has absconded and a search is on and further investigation is underway," he added.
Further speaking, DFO Madurai added that such kind of peafowl death is being reported in Madurai after almost three years. "The forest department, along with its wildlife awareness program, is creating awareness about the importance of preserving such birds in the environment," he said and assured that action would be taken against the accused person.