A U.S. park ranger confronted a woman seen snatching birds at a historic square in Philadelphia and placing them alive in plastic bags, and she claimed she released the birds after catching them.
A video posted to Twitter on Wednesday shows the woman capturing what appear to be sparrows as she and a man sit on a bench near Independence Hall.
The man appears to toss food to a cluster of birds as the woman leans down and grabs one and puts it into a small plastic bag, which she ties off as the bird flaps around inside.
Park Service spokeswoman Gina Gilliam says a ranger approached the couple Tuesday over a complaint they were catching birds.
The ranger observed empty plastic bags and told the couple that trapping wildlife in the park is illegal.
