Painted chicks lead to abuse charge for Swedish magician

A Stockholm magician has been charged with animal cruelty for painting several baby chickens as part of a show at a trendy night club last year.

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The chicks were sprayed with glow in the dark paint, and forced to endure the pulsating music and crowded dance floor of the F12 nightclub on a lively night in late-August last year, the Metro newspaper reports.

The magician and organizers at the club claimed the stunt was “art”, but a guest at the bar that evening had another opinion.

“The chickens were really scared, shaking and peeping. It was horrible,” Felicia Linder told the newspaper at the time.

Linder called police who were also shocked by what they saw.

“They were painted with glow in the dark paint, were running all over the place, and were really stressed. I’ve never seen anything like it in 30 years,” Lisbeth Morin of the Stockholm police told Metro.

The magician had purchased the chicks on Blocket.se, a popular buy-and-sell website in Sweden.

The charges are based on the opinion of a veterinarian who believes the animals endured undue suffering during their night at the Stockholm night club.

Not only was the paint itself highly toxic, it also made it impossible for the chicks to adjust their body temperature.

The 27-year-old magician denies that he committed any crime, claiming he had no idea the chicks were suffering.

But the head of F12, Magnus Jansson, told Metro club management would be more careful in the future.

“I can only say I’m sorry that things went so far that night,” he said.