A BAHRAINI chef who came under fire for posting a live video on Instagram cooking a peacock has defended his actions, after a police complaint was filed against him.
Yousif Zainal dismissed concerns, saying the bird was not listed as “endangered” by the National Geographic Society, a global non-profit organisation committed to protecting the planet.
However, Bahrain Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA) chairman Mahmood Al Faraj told the GDN he had filed a complaint against Mr Zainal at the Budaiya Police Station, insisting the act was “cruel” and “unacceptable”.
The police station later confirmed a complaint had been registered and the case would be referred to the Public Prosecution for review.
“We (the BSPCA) filed a case at the Budaiya police station this morning,” said Mr Al Faraj.
“Irrespective of what he (Mr Zainal) says in his defence, it is an act of cruelty and unacceptable.”
Mr Zainal, who has more than 200,000 social media followers, posts regular cooking videos. In an interview with the GDN he maintained there was nothing unusual about this latest recipe. “I think it is normal,” he told the GDN.
“If it’s about the content of the video, I posted it on my private account with a warning.
“I have a lot of followers (on Instagram) and many of them wanted to see it – and that’s why I posted it.
“I don’t find anything unusual about it as a peacock. It is just like chicken, or a cow or a lamb.
“All that matters is whether the meat is halal and, according to my religion, I can eat anything that is halal.
“And there is nothing ‘haram’ about a peacock, as some people believe.”
Mr Zainal often posts warnings about the content of his cooking videos, including one of a goat being butchered, baked and served with gold coating. “I am a chef and my job is to cook and serve,” he said.
“I did not cook the peacock to sell,” he added, explaining that he ate it with friends.
When asked about the police complaint filed against him, he reiterated that he had not done anything illegal.
In one public response to criticism of the video, he also dismissed concerns that peacocks were endangered.
One species of the bird, the Indian peafowl, has been included in the “least concern” category on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species 2018 by the National Geographic Society.
Another species, the Congo peafowl, is also listed in the “least concern” category.
However, widespread hunting for meat and feathers, collection of eggs and chicks, loss of natural habitat and human interference have led another species – the green peafowl – being classified as “endangered”.
Peacocks are male peafowl while the females are known as peahens.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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