The police are searching for five individuals from the Vedda community and a foreign national for allegedly slaughtering a peacock, roasting its meat, and consuming it inside the Maduru-Oya National Park. The incident, which took place in 2019 or 2020, recently came to light through video footage shared on social media, amassing over eight million views and causing a public outcry.
Wildlife Ranger Henanigala W. M. Kumarasiri Wijekoon reported the incident to the Mahiyangana Magistrate Court. Traditional hunting tools such as bows and arrows were used in the peacock’s hunting. The peacock, a protected species, was shown in the video being roasted, dipped in bee honey, and eaten in the traditional style of the indigenous community. The crime appears to have been committed collectively.
