Tourists Pluck, Kill 2 Peacocks for ... Selfies

Animals died on Feb. 12 at China's Yunnan Zoo
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 23, 2016 8:06 AM CST
Tourists Pluck, Kill 2 Peacocks for ... Selfies
Sigh.   (Mark Moran/The Citizens' Voice via AP)

We just don't learn, do we? Shortly after beachgoers in Argentina killed a baby dolphin, tourists in China are accused of killing two peacocks in an attempt to snap a selfie. Officials say the visitors were told not to touch the animals at Yunnan Zoo in Kunming on Feb. 12 but grabbed two peacocks anyway after luring them with food, per Mashable and the South China Morning Post. One photo shows a man gripping a peacock tightly against his body while a woman appears to pet the animal and a boy grabs its tail feathers.

Zoo officials say the animals had feathers torn out in an area of the zoo where visitors can get close to hundreds of peacocks, per Shanghaiist. The deaths—including a 5-year-old male bird—are being investigated; officials believe the animals died of shock as a result of the "violent behavior" of tourists. A vet confirms peacocks can die of fright and may suffer heart attacks over such shocks, per Mashable. It isn't clear if the zoo will press charges. (This guy just took a selfie with a shark.)

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