To initiate the process, the ministry has proposed to amend Sections 43(3)(a) and 44 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, which relate to the transfer and sale of peacock feathers. "The proposed amendment is intended to prevent the illegal trapping and killing of the national bird for their tail feathers," the minister added. Currently, the Act prohibits the killing of peacocks as well as export of tail feathers or articles made from them. But, the Act allows domestic trade in feathers or articles under the assumption that these are naturally shed.
For several years now conservationists have been insisting that large scale poisoning of peacocks has been taking place to feed the export trade in its feathers. Such requests have fallen on deaf ears, but this recent report has come as a breath of fresh air for those who presumed that the MoEF, virtually moribund for over a decade, may actually be returning to life under the leadership of Jairam Ramesh.
