Kids and parents kill 2,400 butterflies in botanic garden

ABOUT 300 butterflies in the Shanghai Botanic Garden were killed by visitors every day during the weeklong National Day holiday, garden officials reported.

Children and adults alike grabbed butterflies and took pictures of themselves with the struggling insects, the Labor Daily reported today.

About 10,000 butterflies fly freely in a greenhouse where visitors could take pictures during the holiday, the report said.

The garden hired three volunteers to prevent visitors from killing butterflies, but they were largely unsuccessful.

A volunteer surnamed Huang said that despite her urging, many parents caught butterflies to take pictures with their children..

Ginkgo trees in the garden were also damaged by visitors who shook them for fruit, the garden said.

The Botanic Garden received nearly 10,000 visitors every day during the eight-day holiday. That's around 2,400 dead butterflies.

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