A TRADITIONAL Indian wedding procession with pumping music, dancing, fireworks and a marching brass band in shiny jackets has been blamed for the death of 63 chickens.

Ranjit Kumar Parida said the party blasted out an “ear-splitting noise” as it passed his poultry farm in Odisha shortly before midnight on Sunday.

“I asked the band operators to lower the volume as the music was too noisy and terrifying the chickens. But they did not listen, and the groom’s friends shouted at me,” he told AFP.

Ranjit said a vet told him the chickens died of a heart attack, adding that he lodged a police report after organisers refused to pay compensation.

Zoology professor Suryakanta Mishra, who has authored a book on animal behaviour, said loud noises increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in birds.

“Chickens are governed by a circadian rhythm that is controlled by the natural light/dark cycle of day and night,” he told the Hindustan Times.

“Sudden excitement or stress due to loud music can disrupt their biological clock.”

However, the story has a happy ending – except for the chickens – after police convinced the warring parties to “solve the matter mutually”.

“We have not initiated any action as (the farmer) withdrew the complaint,” said police official Droupadi Das. – AFP, November 25, 2021.