Krishnagar, June 5: The forest department today asked its officials to seize 14 peacocks caged “illegally” on the Iskcon temple’s premises in Mayapur.

There are eight adult peacocks and six small ones at the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, about 100km from Calcutta.

“I have asked the officials to seize the peacocks. The birds are the property of the state forest department and not of Iskcon temple,” said Lipika Roy, the divisional forest officer of Nadia and Murshidabad, today.

She said the temple did have the permit to cage the national bird, a critically endangered species. “To keep peacocks one has to get permission from the Central Zoo Authority.”

Earlier, the divisional forest officer had asked Iskcon to hand over the birds. “Otherwise, the department would seize them,” the letter said.