A male zoo goer sparked online outrage after he was filmed plucking the feathers of a peacock’s majestic tail when it got close while other visitors stood and watched without intervening.
The incident reportedly occurred at the Bird Island Park in Shenyang, in China’s north-eastern Liaoning Province, and was caught on a phone video by another visitor.
In the video, a middle-aged man in a pink T-shirt and yellow trainers could be seen approaching a peacock as it faced him and displayed its impressive plumage to another bird as it opened its colourful tail.
He leaned over a wooden railing meant to keep the visitors separate from the animals and smiled as he grabbed one of its beautiful feathers to snap off the tip as a free souvenir.
Other bystanders observed in silence and seemed too busy taking pictures or videos to pay attention.
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But social media users were outraged by the incident that reportedly happened on 11th May, with online commentators like ‘Watch And Help Each Other’ saying: “Globally report this person, let him put his old face wherever he goes, and never let him enter various scenic spots.”
And ‘User 5436970’ said: “Is this his fault alone? Are his hands long? Why can he reach the bird in the first place? Didn’t the zoo’s designers think of such a simple problem?”
While user ‘LIMUZI’ said: “It’s so wicked to catch the peacock and pull its feathers like this.”
Zoo authorities said on 13th May that they were aware of the incident and were searching for the man.
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Since the peacocks in the park are free-range, no staff witnessed the incident at the time.
The park authorities promised to increase patrols and appealed to visitors to tour the park civilly and protect the animals.