National Park Service to investigate viral video of ‘birdnapping’ in Philadelphia

MÓNICA MARIE ZORRILLA, BillyPenn.com | Spirited Media

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The National Park Service is planning to investigate an incident involving a “birdnapping” in Philadelphia’s Washington Square after footage of the incident was shared online.

Videos posted to Instagram Wednesday morning show two people sitting on a bench at the park, surrounded by sparrows. As the man watches, the woman eyes her prey, then deftly snatches a bird with her bare hand and proceeds to stuff it into a plastic bag, still alive with wings flapping.

The clips were posted by @lethalshooter, the popular account run by professional NBA shooting coach Chris Matthews.

In the caption to the post, Matthews says he recorded nearly 10 minutes of similar activity, and notes that his girlfriend, identified as Krístíana, spoke with a ranger about what happened to ensure that “this could never happen again at this park.”

Relaxing in the park in Philadelphia and we saw this. 🤦🏽‍♂️Smh my gf caught them snatching birds. pic.twitter.com/zlyxvwZIc5 — Lethal Shooter (@LethalShooter__) July 11, 2018

Officials were not immediately familiar with the incident in the square, which is part of Independence National Historical Park, and said they had not previously heard of anything similar.

“This is the first time that I ever heard of or saw this report [in Philadelphia County],” Pa. Game Warden Jerrold W. Czech Jr. told Billy Penn. Depending on how many and what kinds of birds the couple possessed or killed, they could be charged with a summary violation under the PA Game and Wildlife Code Title 34, he said.

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National Park Service Public Affairs Officer Gina Gilliam had also not heard about this particular occurrence, but did confirm that trapping and harassing wildlife in the park is against federal regulations, adding, “We will definitely investigate this matter.”

Though the City of Philadelphia does not have jurisdiction over Washington Square, it wouldn’t make a difference. In municipal parks, “hunting, trapping, or chasing wildlife is strictly prohibited,” according to Alain Joinville, spokesperson for the Philadelphia Dept. of Parks and Recreation.

As the two videos began to gain traction on Instagram, Twitter and Reddit, racking up hundreds of thousands of views, reactions varied.

I have some time on my hands (right now). Going to investigate. Horrible — Molly Sullivan (@MollySullivanTV) July 11, 2018

Wttttttffffff 🙄🙄🙄😭😭😭 — The Real Her (@gbaby506) July 11, 2018

Along with indignation, disgust and worries about animal welfare or sanitation, many comments expressed admiration for the adroitness it must have taken to snatch the sparrow barehanded.

Several reactions were tinged with assumptions built on racial stereotypes. The couple in question appears to be of Asian descent, leading to comments about the birds being destined for the dinner table.

Yes plz. This is absolutely awful. This isn’t some kind of third world country, sparrow shouldn’t be your dinner. I have chicken thighs in my freezer, I’ll trade them to keep these poor birds alive. — B (@beakaboo) July 11, 2018

Pretty nasty I wouldn’t be surprised it goes to Chinese restaurant like the dead deer roadkill they use or the raccoon carcas delivered to a restaurant for money that was on Facebook.Fried Pigeon is popular I think In Honk Kong — ☆Mike Angeli☆ (@mikeangeli88) July 11, 2018

If you see a similar occurrence? Per warden Jerrold W. Czech Jr., the rules of “see something, say something” apply.

“If people see this, or if they are uncomfortable, they should call 911, call the Philadelphia Fairmount Park Rangers (215-685-0144), call the PA Game Commission (610-926-3136) and the ACCT (267-385-3800),” Czech said.

The names of the couple in the video have not yet been determined.

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