The Indian peacock, known for its striking blue coloration and impressive wingspan, holds significant cultural importance. Picture: iStock
An aspiring social media influencer in India has been arrested after facing backlash for a video in which he cooked and ate a peacock, a bird protected by national wildlife laws, according to police reports.
Kodam Pranay Kumar was taken into custody on Monday and subsequently jailed after investigators found additional videos on his phone confirming that the bird featured in his cooking video was indeed a peacock.
Peacocks are safeguarded under strict wildlife protection regulations.
“He is currently in jail on a 14-day remand under the Wildlife Protection Act, and the court will determine whether he will remain in custody or be granted bail,” said Akhil Mahajan, police superintendent in Telangana.
Authorities recovered the remaining portions of the curry and collected samples for forensic analysis to confirm whether it indeed contained peacock meat.
They are also working to determine how Kumar obtained the peacock for the video which has since been removed from his social media channel.
The footage depicted him preparing and eating a peacock curry, a stunt allegedly intended to garner more views, according to The Times of India. However, the reaction was not what he had hoped for.
The video, which went viral on social media, triggered widespread outrage and calls for action against Kumar.
The Indian peacock (also referred to as the Indian peafowl or Pavo cristatus), known for its striking blue colouration and impressive wingspan, holds significant cultural importance in India. The Mughal dynasty’s throne was famously known as the Peacock Throne, adorned with jewelled peacocks that once thrived in the northern Indian plains. It is also India’s national bird.
In recent decades, rapid urbanisation and habitat loss have drastically diminished peacock populations in the wild, prompting the implementation of severe penalties and fines under wildlife protection laws to safeguard them from hunting and harm.
Additional source: AFP
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