‘Peacock curry’ gets YouTuber jailed: Wannabe influencer arrested for ‘cooking and eating protected national bird’ in India
A YouTuber has been arrested and jailed in India after allegedly cooking and eating a peacock, a protected national bird.
Wannabe influencer Kodam Pranay Kumar posted a video on his YouTube channel in which he eats a curry apparently made from the bird.
Samples of the dish were seized as part of the investigation and sent to a forensic laboratory to determine exactly what type of meat it was.
Pranay Kumar was arrested on Monday after police said “other videos on his mobile phone confirmed” that the curry contained peacock.
The YouTuber, who has 277,000 subscribers on his channel, denies the allegations and insists the dish is indeed made from chicken.
Kodam Pranay Kumar (pictured) posted a video on his YouTube channel in which he is seen eating a curry apparently made from peacock meat.
Peacocks have special symbolic significance in India and are protected by strict wildlife laws (stock photo)
Akhil Mahajan, police chief in the southern state of Telangana, where Pranay Kumar is from, said: “He has now been remanded in custody for 14 days under the Wildlife Protection Act and the court will now decide whether he will remain in custody or be released on bail.”
The video, which has since been deleted from Pranay Kumar’s channel, was titled ‘Traditional Peacock Curry Recipe’ and appeared to give a step-by-step guide on how to prepare the dish.
However, the video sparked a storm of criticism on social media, with Pranay Kumar accused of disrespecting a national symbol of India and encouraging the illegal consumption of wild animals.
Animal rights activists also allege that Pranay Kumar often posted similar videos on his YouTube channel.
Police are currently investigating how the YouTuber managed to obtain the suspected peacock for the curry.
Peacocks have special symbolic significance in India and are protected by strict wildlife laws.
The birds once had a large population in parts of northern India, but rapid urbanisation has drastically reduced their numbers in the wild.
The birds once had a large population in parts of northern India, but rapid urbanisation has drastically reduced their numbers in the wild.
Today they are protected by strict wildlife conservation laws, and anyone who hunts or harms them is subject to severe penalties and fines.
Two farmers from Vikarabad district of Telangana were arrested in June this year for allegedly eating a peacock.
Peacock feathers were found in a field by rangers, but the bird’s body was missing. It is believed the peacock died from electrocution.
And in 2023, three workers were arrested in Odisha for allegedly hunting and eating a peacock.
One and a half kilos of meat were found, as well as feathers, snares and a net.