Lahore, Jan 13: Peacocks are up for sale at the Lahore Zoo, and the authorities here have sold over as many as 36 peacocks in the past two years.
In 2006, the Zoo sold 20 peacocks for a whopping Rs 100,000.
Peacocks are not only beautiful, they are also considered sacred. Their feathers are burnt sometimes to ward off diseases, even to cure snakebite.
Urooj Jehan, a miniature painter, said peacocks are the most stunning birds having a range of colours including turquoise, blue, green, and purple. She also said peacocks had been the favourite motif of folk and classical arts. She said feathers had been used in the Mogul era. "Several Mogul dishes were embellished with its feathers," she added.
Moguls had fancied peacocks and reared them. Shell-craft, jewellery, embroidery, weaving, filigree, woodwork, toys, stoneware and metal craft were embellished with peacocks, reported the Daily Times.
Kazi Amman, a peacock enthusiast, said that the main reason for keeping the birds in homes was that they were beautiful and believed to bring prosperity.
Lahore Zoo deputy director Dr Nasir Saleem said the zoo sells only the surplus peacocks. According to him, peacocks are of six major species, including common peafowl, pied peafowl, black shouldered, white peafowl, emerald peafowl and Java green peafowl.
Emerald and Java green are among the endangered species, he said and added that presently the Zoo had 50 peacocks. Most of them have been moved to the Jallo Park for hatching, as the Zoo’s incubator is out of order.
Bureau Report with ANI inputs
First Published: Saturday, January 13, 2007, 00:00