- WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT
- A red-bellied tree squirrel was caught eating crops at a farm in southwest China
- Footage showed a man whipping it with a twig as it twitched its body in pain
- Web users and animal rights group slammed the man’s merciless actions
Distressing footage emerged online shows a squirrel being tied up to a beer bottle and whipped by a farmer in south-west China.
The red-bellied squirrel was caught eating corn from the man’s farm and got tied up for punishment. It struggled to break free and twitched in pain.
Web users and animal rights group slammed the man’s act for abusing defenceless animals and urged the Chinese government to legislate on animal protection issues.

A Pallas’s Squirrel is tied to a beer bottle for stealing crops in a farm in Guizhou, China (left). It twitches its body in pain as the farmer whips it with a twig (right)
The three-minute-long footage has been circulating on Chinese social media platforms since it was first uploaded on May 31.
The incident was reported to be in Guizhou Province, according to a local media account on Weibo.
The red-bellied animal, also known as Pallas’s Squirrel, mainly feeds on leaves, seeds and fruits.
It was tied onto a green glass bottle with strings as the man beat it with a twig continuously.
‘Why are you stealing from me? Go steal my cousin’s,’ the man said in local dialect.
‘We don’t have enough corn for ourselves. Now you want some too?’ he added.
The tree squirrel twitched its body and opened its claws as the man hit its stomach.
It’s unclear if the squirrel survived at the end.


The red-bellied squirrel is tied tightly around its neck and fails to break free (left). The video has caused an uproar among web users since last Thursday (right) when it was first uploaded
Keith Guo, press officer at PETA Asia expressed concerns of animal protection awareness in China.
‘This is yet another reason why China needs an animal-protection law. Such abuse is why PETA is on the ground to raise awareness of all animal-welfare issues,’ commented Mr Guo.
Web users were enraged as they questioned if the man has mercy towards harmless animals.
‘It’s just a tiny squirrel, what’s the point to beat up the little animal?’ said QiCM.
Alanyuwo asked: ‘What gives the man the right to whip a squirrel?’
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