A man in China has been sentenced to six months in prison for frightening 1,100 chickens to death in a feud with a neighbor.
The bizarre incident began last April when a man surnamed Gu was upset that his neighbor, surnamed Dzong, cut down a tree without his knowledge.
In retaliation, Gu, who is from Hengyang County, Hunan Province in south-central China, sneaked into Zhong’s poultry farm several times at night.
Gu’s intentions were not clear, but a court in Hengyang county heard that Gu used a flashlight one night “to scare chickens,” according to the state-run China Daily newspaper.
This caused the birds to crowd into the corners, crushing 460 to death.
Mr. Gu was arrested and paid 3,000 yuan (S$581) in compensation to Mr. Zhong.
This angered him even more, and he returned to Zhong’s farm to repeat the same behavior, resulting in the death of 640 chickens.
Chinese officials said the 1,100 dead chickens were worth 13,840 yuan.
A court on Tuesday found Gu’s actions willful and sentenced him to six months in prison with one year of probation.
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/china-jails-man-for-scaring-1100-chickens-to-death China jails man for scaring 1,100 chickens to death