Tourists destroy beautiful azalea trees in bloom in China: Some even use branches for barbecue
Spring usually signifies happy memories, what with flowers blooming and making the scenery beautiful.
But this particular spring was a rather unhappy one for the beautiful azalea tree in China's Sichuan countryside.
Tourists recently swarmed by the hundreds to the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture to see the trees in bloom.
The unruly tourists plucked the flowers, broke off branches and even uprooted entire trees.
They did this to pose for photos and to leave the area with a souvenir, reports Shanghaiist.
One outrageous photo even shows a group that had broken off a tree's branches to start a barbecue.
Sichuan authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, and looking at measures to protect the environment.
They also said that it was useless to steal the trees as they only survived in high altitudes.
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