Ramabai Nagar (Uttar Pradesh), Jul 9 (IANS): Thirteen peacocks, believed to have been poisoned, were found dead in Ramabai Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, police said Saturday.
The peacocks were found dead Friday in the fields on the outskirts of Arshadpur village in this district, around 150 km from state capital Lucknow.
"The carcasses were discovered when a team of forest officials was on a routine inspection," Shailendra Kumar, police inspector, told reporters here.
The owners of the fields have been detained, he added.
"Prima facie, it appears that some villagers poisoned the peacocks for their meat and feathers," he said.
The killing of peacocks, the national bird of India, is prohibited under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.