Chinese zoo locked animals in cages to prevent escape as typhoon-related floodwaters rose
BEIJING, July 10 (Reuters) – A zoo in southwestern China locked lions, bears and wolves in their cages as deadly flooding triggered by Typhoon Maysak ravaged the region. Animal rights group PETA called the decision “unconscionable” on Friday.
Earlier this week, a zoo in the city of Guigang, one of the hardest-hit cities in the southwestern region of Guangxi, locked up the animals to prevent them from escaping when floods hit the city, Red Star News, a regional news outlet, reported.
Three lions drowned and more than 100 animals were lost.
“We didn’t want to create more problems for the country when the floods came and caused dangerous animals to escape and harm people,” the owner of Guigang Zoo was quoted as saying by Red Star News.
Floodwaters at the zoo rose above 2 meters (6.6 feet).
More than 100 animals were washed away, including a pair of zebras and three miniature ponies, as well as ostriches, alpacas, raccoons and peacocks, according to the zoo’s announcement on social media that it was seeking help locating and rescuing the missing wild animal.
At least one of the missing zebras was found dead, the state-backed Global Times later reported. Brown bears and wolves locked in their cages are said to be in poor condition after nearly drowning in floods.
“The tragedy unfolding in Guangxi, China should be a wake-up call for all zoos and indoor wildlife facilities in extreme weather,” Jason Baker, PETA’s Asia president, said in a statement.
Baker said it was “unreasonable” to trap animals behind bars as floodwaters rise, but “releasing captive wild animals during a disaster is irresponsible and dangerous to both animals and people” and called for evacuation plans and an end to keeping wild animals in zoos.
Reuters could not immediately reach Guigang Zoo operators for comment.
In the neighboring Guangxi city of Hengzhou, flooding destroyed a snake farm and released hundreds of cobras, king rat snakes and water snakes into floodwaters.
State-backed Beijing News reported that a woman from Hengzhou died after being bitten by a snake.
Typhoon Maysak killed at least 39 people in southern China this week, triggering extreme flooding that overran reservoirs and left entire towns submerged and severely damaged. The region is bracing for an even stronger typhoon, Bavi, which is expected to reach southeast China on Saturday.
(Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)
