© Lilisun Photography
Two peacocks that were living in captivity in a Chinese zoo died after visitors manhandled the birds in order to to get photos taken with them.After grabbing the animals, the visitors reportedly plucked feathers from the animals for keepsakes, according to Mashable.
A spokesperson for Yunnan Wild Animal Park reportedly told Huaxi Metropolis Daily that visitors were expressly told not to touch the animals, Mashable says.Vistors reportedly lured the animals with food.
Zoo officials also told the South China Morning Post that they believe at least one peacock died of shock. The publication says that the zoo has more than 10,000 wild animals and 200 different species including pandas, rhinoceros and white tigers.
Photos of two tourists picking up one of the birds has circulated on social media after reports of the incident.
The year has not been a good one for wildlife captured by the attention of tourists. The incident in China comes on the heels of reports that a small dolphin was killed in Argentina after being plucked from the ocean for a series of selfie images. On February 20, a Florida man was captured on video pulling a shark from the ocean to capture a photo with the animal.
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