A Chinese man has received a prison sentence after sneaking onto his neighbor’s property and frightening 1,100 chickens to death with a flashlight.
The man, who has only been identified by his last name, Gu, trespassed onto his neighbor Zhong’s chicken farm. He then used a flashlight to terrify the birds. This ultimately led them to kill each other, according to China Daily.
The flashlight’s beam panicked the chickens, driving them into a single corner of their coop where they trampled one another in a desperate attempt to escape. This incident occurred amidst an ongoing feud between the two neighbors, which started in April 2022 when Gu chopped down Zhong’s trees without permission. In response, Zhong’s wife removed the fallen trees, further angering Gu.
Determined to seek revenge, Gu trespassed onto Zhong’s property at night and shone a flashlight on the chickens. As a result, 500 of the birds fled into a corner, where they died from being crushed by each other. After the incident, police arrested Gu and ordered him to compensate Zhong with 3,000 yuan (approximately $436). However, this did not deter Gu from continuing his vendetta.
Gu returned to Zhong’s property for a second time and repeated the flashlight tactic, leading to the deaths of an additional 640 chickens. It remains unclear whether the man faces additional fines or penalties for his actions.