This is the disturbing moment a boy grabbed hold of a peacock and threw it on the ground after entering its enclosure at a zoo in eastern China.

Shocking video filmed in the city of Wuxi in Jiangsu Province on January 28 shows the boy harming the bird, an incident that has caused upset on Chinese social media.

A zookeeper then enters the scene and escorts the boy away immediately.

The peacock area in Wuxi Zoo is no longer fenced-off area and has been transformed into a more open space so visitors can get a closer look.

But on this occasion, zoo keepers were overwhelmed during an especially busy period and did not catch the boy in time.

According to reports, the boy caught the peacock as he thought it was funny.

Chinese netizens were angry about the boy's actions, with one person commenting on Weibo, China's Twitter-like social media platform: "The boy's whole family should be on the zoo's blacklist."

Another netizen commented: "The boy was young; his whole family should be punished."

The video was provided by local media with permission.

1月28日，江苏无锡，无锡动物园内一名男孩跑到孔雀活动区域，直接追上孔雀将其按住并使劲摔打，随后工作人员将男童带离。动物园回应男孩冲进园区摔打孔雀#无锡市动物园工作人员称，这两天因为免费人多，可能工作人员一时忙不过来，孔雀区域已经不是传统的用围栏和游客隔开，已经改造成原生态，游客可以近距离观看的，后续会让园区加强管理增加巡视。