Wildlife tragedy in Karnataka: 20 peacocks found dead in Tumakuru, third suspected poisoning case in a month

Farmers found the carcasses of three male and 17 female peacocks scattered across farmland near a stream.

Just a month after the killing of five tigers at MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary near Mysuru, another wildlife tragedy has struck Karnataka, this time involving the national bird. Over the weekend, 20 peacocks were found dead in Tumakuru district, around 120 km from Bengaluru, The Times of India reported.

Forest minister Eshwar Khandre has ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident reported from Hanumanthapura village in Midigeshi hobli of Madhugiri taluk early Saturday.

Farmers found the carcasses of three male and 17 female peacocks scattered across farmland near a stream. Some were found close to an outlet from the village lake, while others were lying within a 600-metre radius. The exact cause of their death is not yet known.

20 peacocks found dead in Karnataka's #tumakuru district. According to state's Forest Minister @eshwar_khandre, "prima facie it appears that a farmer sprayed some pesticides on his crops; the birds fed on them. They got poisoned & died. A probe has been ordered to find the cause" pic.twitter.com/2ZJSwjyOFS

— thedelhicrown (@thedelhicrown) August 4, 2025

Officials say the government is treating the incident very seriously, especially since it is the third case of suspected wildlife poisoning in the state within a month. The investigation will focus on whether the birds were deliberately poisoned or if they accidentally consumed pesticide or insecticide used on crops.

This comes close on the heels of the unnatural death of 20 monkeys, a tigress and four cubs in the recent past.

On July 2, carcasses of 20 monkeys were recovered in the Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka on Wednesday. Forest and police officials suspect that the monkeys were poisoned, according to a NDTV report.

"As soon as villagers spotted peacock carcasses, they alerted the range forest officer (RFO). We rushed to the spot. While the first carcass was spotted next to an outlet of a village lake, the others were found in a 600-metre radius," TOI quoted a forest officer as saying.

G Shashidhar, Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) for Tumakuru district, confirmed that a case has been registered under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. “We have collected samples from all 20 birds. Possible causes include eating poisonous feed or treated seeds sown in the fields. The lab report will confirm the reason,” he said.

Minister Khandre has instructed the state’s chief wildlife warden, P C Ray, to submit a detailed report within five days. He has also directed officials to conduct an immediate audit of the deaths of any species listed under Schedule 1 or 2 of the Wildlife Act and submit such reports regularly.

A villager said it is common practice for farmers to treat seeds with insecticides or fungicides before sowing to protect them from pests. “It is possible the peacocks ate these seeds and died,” he said.