Man Sentenced To Jail For Scaring 1,100 Chickens To Death Amid Fight With Neighbor

A man in China was sent to prison after he sneaked into his neighbor's residence and scared hundreds of his chickens to death following a dispute.

The man, identified by only his surname Gu, used a flashlight to scare about 1,100 chickens to death on multiple occasions. He shined the flashlight on the chickens to cause a panic, resulting in the birds crushing one another within their enclosure in an attempt to escape. The incident took place in Hengyang county of Hunan province last week, China Daily reported.

Gu snuck into his neighbor and chicken owner, surnamed Zhong's, place one night and caused a stampede among 460 chickens by shining the flashlight on them. As the birds crowded into a corner in fear, they died in the ensuing crash. Gu was eventually caught by the police and ordered to pay 3,000 yuan ($436) to Zhong, which further enraged him, as per CNN.

Gu then returned to Zhong's place for a second time and used the flashlight on the chicken again, this time killing at least 640 chickens. A total of 1,100 chickens were killed in both incidents. As per the Chinese authorities, the dead chickens were estimated to be worth a total of 13,840 yuan ($2,015).

While the exact intention behind Gu's action against the birds wasn't clear, it appears his act was motivated by resentment and revenge.

The fighting between the two neighbors began in April 2022 when Gu chopped down Zhong's trees without his permission or notice. Later, Zhong's wife found the trees and got them towed away, according to NYPost.

A court in Hengyang County, in central China's Hunan province, ruled Tuesday (April 4) that Gu caused "property loss" to Zhong and "the loss was a large amount." He was then convicted of "intentionally destroying property" and was sentenced to six months in prison with one year of probation. The court decided on Gu's sentence after considering the remorse he showed for his behavior.

Revenge can intimidate people into carrying out appalling activities.

In an unrelated incident that took place in the Kabirdham district of the central Indian state of Chattisgarh, a newly-married man died after opening a wedding gift from his wife's estranged lover. As 25-year-old Hemendra Merawi plugged the home theater music system received as a wedding gift from his wife's former lover into power, it exploded, killing him and his elder brother, Rajkumar. Authorities found that the wife's former lover planned to kill the couple as he was upset upon receiving the news of the wedding.