Peacock Feathers
is Book 1 in the JEACs series by Amelia Lionheart.
Join the JEACs
J - Junior
E - Environmentalists
A - And
C - Conservationists
in their first exhilarating adventure!
The Patels - Rohan, Anu, Gina and their cousin, Nimal (two boys and two girls ranging in age from 8 to 14) - live on a wildlife conservation centre in North India. Travelling home by train for the summer holidays, the children not only acquire a new addition to their family - Hunter the dog - but also meet Peter Collins, a young detective, who grew up on the Patiyak Wildlife Conservation Centre (PWCC) with them. Peter has been assigned to their conservation to deal with the problem of peacocks being killed for their feathers - peacock feathers can be sold at exorbitant prices! Angry and upset, the youngsters assure Peter they will assist him, to the best of their ability, in saving the birds.
While making plans to save the peacocks, the Patels decide to form a group called the Junior Environmentalists and Conservationists (the JEACs), and invite young people, who want to protect animals and save the planet from further destruction, to join up.
Once they reach their home, the JEACs, as they now call themselves, chat to their parents and the rest of the staff and gather information as to how the birds are being killed. The staff having reached the conclusion that the poachers must be hidden on the Conservation, convey this information to the JEACs, and the JEACs do some careful planning as to how they can keep a look-out for the crooks. They decide to hide in the jungle, in a cave overlooking one of the largest waterholes frequented by numerous birds, including peacocks, and lots of animals. The girls take turns in watching from their hideout, while the boys each go to the other waterholes.