Tourist Banned From Mount Emei for 3 Years After Shoving Protected Monkey

A tourist has been banned from Emei Mountain in Sichuan Province for three years after a video showed him shoving a macaque that was eating on a roadside railing, the scenic area's management committee said on Thursday.

The incident took place on the afternoon of May 4 in the Leidongping area of the scenic spot, not on a dangerous cliffside section as some online posts had claimed, the Emei Mountain Scenic Area Administrative Committee said in a statement.

The committee said the man, whose identity has been verified, admitted wrongdoing and apologized during the investigation. His conduct violated rules on wildlife protection and had caused a negative social impact, it said.

Under the scenic area's rules, the man has been placed on its blacklist of uncivilized visitors and will be barred from entering Emei Mountain for three years.

The video, which began circulating online on May 5, showed a monkey sitting on a railing and peeling an orange before a man in black rushed forward and pushed it with both hands. The man then appeared to run away laughing, according to the video.

The clip drew a wave of criticism online, with many users saying the behavior was not a joke but an act that could have harmed a wild animal.

Emei Mountain's monkeys are Tibetan macaques, commonly known locally as Emei monkeys. They are under second-class state protection in China. The scenic area said visitors are prohibited from feeding, teasing, touching, chasing, frightening, kicking or otherwise provoking or attacking wild monkeys.

The management committee urged visitors to follow scenic area rules, keep a safe distance from wild animals and avoid spreading malicious traffic-driven content online.