Poachers prey on peafowl explosion in Hyderabad

Udumula Sudhakar Reddy 
Peafowl population explosion in the city is making the act of poachers 
easy as they are available in abundance even in layouts, small vegetations and abandoned 
buildings. It is found that hunters are drugging them using after mixing the chemical 
mixed grains.
The latest census at KBR National Park in Banjara Hills in the city found that there are 
400 to 450 peafowl which is almost double than the previous census. The census is carried 
out by forest officials along with Bird Waters Society.
The peafowl population is similarly increased in Vanashtalipuram Park and the spillover 
is moving to the nearby vegetations.  In Vanasthalipuram at Sahebnagar morning walkers 
fond 'drug mixed grains' and noose which are used to trap the peafowl in HUDA layout area.
M Narasimha Murthy a morning walker and head master Abdullapurmet government high school 
says ,”Poachers are trying to kill them by both setting up noose or using drugs or poison 
mixed grains. We have found the poaching material and handed over to forest officials. We 
found a few dead peafowl in the area too,”
The wild life wing crime control cell is also received several calls on the movements of 
poachers in the areas like Golkonda and Rajendranagar. Wild life wing officials kept 
watch in these areas but so far didn’t arrest any one.
Anti Poaching Squad Forest Range Officer Mr. Tirumala Rao said ,”we are going send the 
drug mixed grains to forensic lab for tests. We have been received calls from locals 
regarding poaching activity in Vanasthalipuram. There are around 15 peafowl in the Huda 
layout. As there are no houses there is tree growth due to which they made it as habitat. 
Due to growth in numbers the peafowl they are easily visible outside the forest area due 
to which they are targeted,”