Use of peacock feathers may be banned

The Ministry of Environment and Forests has started working on a ban on the domestic use of the national birds feathers.

With increasing number of cases of peacocks being killed for tail feathers being reported from across the country,the Ministry of Environment and Forests has started working on a ban on the domestic use of the national birds feathers.

Unlike other animals protected under the Wildlife Protection Act,the peacock has a peculiar legal protection: trade in feathers,which have been naturally shed,is allowed in the country. The same Act puts a complete ban on the export of these feathers or curios made from them.

The need for the ban on domestic use of the feathers arises from the fact that wildlife officials have found entire godowns filled with peacock feathers,especially around Agra,with scattered reports of peacock deaths coming in from across the country. This clearly means that peacocks are being killed for their feathers, said an official from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau.

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The official said the problem also comes with enforcement: forensically,it is very hard to tell whether a feather has been plucked or naturally shed. The only way to tell is if the feather is tipped with blood. If it is,then it means it may have been plucked forcibly. But if the end of the feather has been clipped off,it is impossible to tell, he said.

The Ministry has now invited public comments for the proposed ban on trade in peacock feathers.