Butterfly Massacre

Four days after its opening a weel ago, 200 of the 300 butterflies at the All-Russia Exhibition Center attraction have been killed.

Visiting children "just didn't know" how to properly react with butterflies, either manhandling them (causing injury) or crushing them altogether while trying to catch one. The butterflies flutter free around the room and can land on visitors, said Andrei Kuleshov, spokesman for the butterfly exhibition.

The attraction is still open, and butterfly numbers are expected to be back up to 300 within a week or two. Kuleshov would not reveal how much the new insects cost, and said parents would be warned to supervise their children.

The butterflies include common breeds like hawk moths and rare examples from South America and Southeast Asia. "If a butterfly lands on someone, it's lucky," Kuleshov said. (Note from the Daily Dude: but not so lucky for the butterfly, apparently)