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.
过去几天，网上出现了令人震惊的图片，显示一名小男孩在江苏动物园内虐待一只孔雀，最终被该景点的饲养员制止。大批围观者认为这是一个值得拍照的时刻。
It was around noon on 28 January when the alarming incident took place at the Wuxi Zoo in our very own Jiangsu Province.
1月28日中午，江苏无锡动物园发生了一起令人震惊的事件。
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.
在那里，一位参观该景点的小伙子主动走近其中的一只孔雀，将其抱入怀中，然后不断地将孔雀打到岩石地面上。
The incident, which may be alarming to some readers, can be seen in this video released by The Paper.
这起事件可能会让一些读者感到震惊，可以从澎湃新闻发布的这段视频中看到。
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.
在男孩最终被动物园管理员控制住后，孔雀被兽医带走进行检查。这只鸟被发现胸部瘀伤，羽毛凌乱。从心理上来说，孔雀似乎没有受到伤害。
But how did this happen and what are the legal ramifications?
但这是如何发生的以及法律后果是什么？
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.
假期期间，无锡动物园免费开放，为拉动旅游经济发挥作用。由于游客数量增加，每人负责照管的动物园管理员数量减少。
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.
孔雀对人没有攻击性，为了让游客体验到更多乐趣，无锡动物园的孔雀围栏没有围栏。众所周知，这些鸟有时会在石路上行走并与游客互动。
The boy therefore got his opportunity for what he later described as “fun”.
因此，这个男孩得到了他后来所说的“有趣”的机会。
But as in many countries, in China the peacock is a nationally-protected animal. This is where the law comes in.
但与许多国家一样，孔雀在中国是国家保护动物。这就是法律发挥作用的地方。
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.
江苏利湖律师事务所律师周航表示，如果孩子导致孔雀死亡，而父母亲眼目睹，没有采取必要措施制止，或者只是简单拍照、录像，都会被视为纵容、纵容。
As such, they will be suspected of the crime of endangering precious and endangered wildlife, as according to Article 341 of the Criminal Law.
据此，根据刑法第341条的规定，他们涉嫌危害珍贵、濒危野生动物罪。
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.
更一般而言，如果未满8岁的儿童不停止侵犯他人财产或健康的行为，则应视为儿童父母的故意行为。
