Farmers in Bihar, east India, complained that nilgai antelopes were damaging their crops, according to reports. In response, the government allegedly ordered 300 of the animals to be shot dead by local hunters. But horrifying footage shows the extreme lengths hunters went to to slaughter the animals, with one injured antelope getting buried alive by a digger load of soil.
The video of the distressed animal was shared online, with many condemning the hunters for the “hideous cruelty”.
Following the incident, the driver of the digger has been arrested amid a further investigation, according to PETA India, an animal rights organisation.
The footage allegedly shows a member of the Forestry Department in Bihar pushing an injured nilgai into a hole with the bucket of a JCB digger.
After several attempts to get the large antelope into the pit, the animal falls in.
It then sits at the bottom of the whole looking stunned and unable to move or resist as the hunters pour soil on top of the helpless animal.
The digger continues to cover the antelope in more and more soil, leaving just the animals head peeking out of the mound of dirt.
After several attempts, the mammal is then completely immersed in soil.
Some movement back be seen coming from underneath the layers of dirt before it becomes still.
A Twitter user posted the video with the following caption: “Nilgai buried alive.
“Forest department of Bihar ordered to kill 300 Nilgai as farmers complained that they are damaging crops.
“Hence the government ordered to shoot them & kill by recruiting hunters, one of the Nilgai didn’t die after the gunshot… They decided to bury him alive.”
The footage has been watched over 2.8million times and many have condemned the actions of the hunters.
One person wrote: “No respect or compassion – humans take more and more of the animals natural habitat for their greed and need to feed their ever growing numbers -the only species that needs culling here is the humans.”
Another person said: “This makes me feel physically sick!!! How could anyone be that cruel?”
A third called for the perpetrators to be “prosecuted under law”.
Peter Egan, a British actor known for his role in ITV drama Downton Abbey, responded to the video: “This beautiful Antelope is buried alive in Bihar, East India… a state where Buddha meditated under the Bodhi tree… it is a place of pilgrimages…whatever religion you follow how do you square this with your god?”
Another user simply branded the act as “hideous cruelty”.
PETA said of the incident: “Concerned forest guard has been suspended, the driver of the excavator has been arrested and further investigation is going on.
“PETA India’s emergency response team is in touch with the forest officials.”