China zoo uses old videos of dead tiger cub to seek donations, prompting demands for apologies
Officials suspend operations at animal park amid controversy involving Siberian cub which had died from an infectious disease
A Chinese zoo has been accused of using old videos of a tiger cub to attract donations after she died, triggering public controversy.
The Puyang Central Zoo, a privately run zoo in Puyang city in central China’s Henan province, was reported to have been using old videos of a dead tiger cub to keep tricking “sponsorship fees” from live-stream viewers.
On February 10, local authorities confirmed the case and announced its decision to suspend the zoo’s operations and place its director under a rectification programme.
Previously, sharp-eyed online observers noticed the zoo’s tiger keeper, Zhang Lina, live-streamed its star Siberian tiger cub, Nuannuan, while using old footage of her or filming another tiger cub.
It turned out that Nuannuan had died from feline distemper, a highly contagious, life-threatening infectious disease and the zoo concealed the truth.
The zoo charges 20 yuan (US$3) for adults and 10 yuan for children. However, its major income is reportedly donations from viewers attracted to online live-streams of its animals.
The video clips on Zhang’s account, which has 2.7 million followers, show that Zhang asks for tips from viewers to “feed” the animals virtually.
