Indian YouTuber gets in trouble with viral video of ‘traditional peacock curry’

A YouTuber has run into trouble with the law after sharing a recipe video using the meat of the peacock, the national bird of India.

Kodam Pranay Kumar, a YouTuber from the state of Telangana with 277,000 subscribers, is under investigation for allegedly violating laws that protect peacocks from hunting and killing. His cooking videos typically get between 500 and 1,000 views.

Mr. Kumar is accused of posting a video titled “Traditional Peacock Curry” on his YouTube channel.

Akhil Mahajan, superintendent of police of Rajanna-Sircilla district, said: “A case has been registered under existing laws and strictest action will be taken against him and anyone else involved in such activities.”

He added: “He (Kumar) will also be remanded in custody.”

Animal rights activists claimed that Mr. Kumar frequently shared similar videos on his channel.

Officials investigating the case said a team of forest officials visited his village and arrested him under the Wildlife Protection Act. India Today.

A meat sample found in his house, suspected to be chicken curry, was sent for forensic analysis.

In India, peacocks are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. The Indian peafowl, the group of animals to which the male peacock belongs, enjoys one of the highest levels of protection under the law as the national bird. Hunting, killing or capturing the bird is strictly prohibited and anyone violating the law faces a minimum of three years and a maximum of seven years in prison and a fine.

This is not the first case in which people have been arrested for eating peacock meat.

In June, two farmers from Vikarabad district in Telangana were arrested for allegedly eating a peacock. Forest officials alerted authorities after they found peacock feathers in an open field, but the bird's body was missing. The peacock died, presumably of electrocution, before the two farmers took it away.

In 2023, three workers in Odisha were arrested for hunting a peacock and eating its meat. Forest officials raided a brick factory after receiving a tip-off to arrest the professional hunters who set traps to hunt birds and animals.

The officers seized 1.5 kilograms of peacock meat as well as feathers, snares and nets from the three men.