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.
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.
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.
