Chinese park criticised over glow-worm publicity stunt
Creatures likely to die within days after they were moved from their normal habitat, says expert
An animal expert has criticised a park in western China for releasing about 100,000 glow-worms in a publicity stunt to attract visitors, a newspaper reported.
The creatures were released on Saturday evening at a park in Chengdu in Sichuan province, the West China City Daily said.
The glow-worms delighted visitors, particularly children, as they emitted their green light, the article said.
Zhao Li, the director of an insect museum, told the newspaper that the glow-worms were all likely to die within three to seven days after their release.
He said they were probably collected in the wild, as breeding centres are rare in China, and glow-worms were very poor at adapting to new environments.