Illegal shipment of peacock feathers seized

Customs officers found 100kg of the feathers in six bags

GUWAHATI, INDIA - JULY 29: A peacock spreads its wings as it dances at Assam State Zoo & Botanical Garden in Guwahati, India July 29, 2018. 

PHOTOGRAPH BY Anuwar Ali Hazarika / Barcroft Images (Photo credit should read Anuwar Ali Hazarika / Barcroft Images / Barcroft Media via Getty Images)
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An illegal shipment of peacock feathers bound for Dubai has been seized at Mumbai airport, India, according to officials.

The air intelligence unit of Mumbai customs seized 100kg of feathers from four passengers at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Monday.

Peacocks are protected under schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972, and the export of their feathers is also prohibited. Trade in naturally-shed feathers is not a crime.

Of the four UAE-bound passengers, three were from Uttar Pradesh and one was from Kerala. They were intercepted carrying the feathers in six bags.