Pretty Girls With Ostriches Fail To Sell Meat In Beijing

A parade of cute animals is not necessarily the most effective way to sell meat, as one company discovered when its plan to lure customers with models walking pet ostriches backfired in Beijing.

According to Shanghaiist, residents were surprised to see a young woman walking a baby ostrich on a leash in Beijing's Sanlitun neighborhood. The fuzzy chick was about the size of a downy football, and passersby were charmed. They were reportedly less enthused when they realized the woman was not walking a weird pet, she was promoting a website that sells imported African ostrich meat. People nearby were passing out free samples of ostrich meat, while the baby ostrich strutted for the crowd.

"I take pity on the ostrich. Such a promotion strategy is too cruel," one man said.

Police said there were no regulations against walking ostriches in the city. There were also a few more ostrich-walking models in other neighborhoods, but the stunt does not seem to have whetted anybody's appetite for ostrich meat.