The police registered an FIR suspecting that the peacocks were poisoned by poachers.

According to the police, some villagers who had gone to the forests on Sunday spotted carcasses of as many as 17 peacocks. They informed forest officials following which they rushed to the spot.

"The police were also informed. They seized some grains from the spot, suspected to be laced with poison. It seems the peacocks were fed these grains," said a police officer.

The officer said that cases of peacock poaching have been reported from the area in the past.

"The same modus operandi of offering poisonous grains was used by the poachers in the past. We are investigating if any gang is involved in these cases," said the officer.

A poacher can get a maximum of 7 years in jail and a fine of Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh or both for hunting animals and birds specified in Schedule I.

Activists claim that peacocks are being killed for their feathers and flesh in the state. In most cases, they are made to eat grains laced with poison and then killed by people living in remote areas.