Two peacocks have reportedly died at a zoo after being manhandled by tourists taking selfies.
The tourists picked up the birds to pose for pictures with them at the Yunnan Zoo in Kunming, southern China, according to local reports.
A photo of them provoked criticism after being shared on a Chinese social media website.
The zoo confirmed two peacocks had died as a result of the “violent behaviour” of visitors, the South China Morning Post reported.
Zookeepers said they believed the birds, one of which was a five-year-old male, died from shock after their rough treatment.
The deaths were revealed just days after a baby dolphin was feared to have died after being passed around by a huge crowd of selfie-takers on a beach in Argentina.
One of the beachgoers later said the dolphin was already dead and had washed up on the shore.
Footage of a man grabbing hold of a flailing shark on a Florida beach and pinning it down, so he could pose for photographs with it, has also sparked criticism in recent days.
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