Shocking images have emerged online in the past days showing a young boy physically abusing a peacock in a Jiangsu zoo before eventually being stopped by the attraction’s keepers. Hoards of onlookers felt it a photo-worthy moment.
It was around noon on 28 January when the alarming incident took place at the Wuxi Zoo in our very own Jiangsu Province.
There, a young lad visiting the attraction took it upon himself to approach one of the peacocks therein, grab it into his arms and then proceed to repeatedly beat the bird to the rocky ground.
The incident, which may be alarming to some readers, can be seen in this video released by The Paper.
After the boy was finally restrained by a zookeeper, the peacock was taken away for examination by a vet. The bird was found to have a bruised chest and a messy state of feathers. Psychologically, the peacock appeared to be unharmed.
But how did this happen and what are the legal ramifications?
During the holiday period, Wuxi Zoo has been playing its part to stimulate the tourist economy by offering free admission. As a result of increased visitor numbers, there are fewer zookeepers per person to keep an eye on things.
Peacocks are not aggressive to people, and so in order to make the visitor experience a little more fun, the peacock enclosure at Wuxi Zoo is not fenced off. The birds are known to, at times, walk on the stone path and interact with tourists.
The boy therefore got his opportunity for what he later described as “fun”.
But as in many countries, in China the peacock is a nationally-protected animal. This is where the law comes in.
Zhou Hang, a lawyer with Jiangsu Lihu Law Firm, said that were the child to cause the peacock’s death while their parents witnessed such without taking the necessary measures to prevent it, or simply by taking photos or videos thereof, the parents will be regarded as conniving and indulging.
As such, they will be suspected of the crime of endangering precious and endangered wildlife, as according to Article 341 of the Criminal Law.
In more general terms, if a child under the age of 8 does not desist from an act of infringing on other’s property or health, it shall be deemed to be a deliberate act on the part of the child’s parents.
