Bear in high-wire motorbike stunt and example of China's animal cruelty

A picture of a bear forced to ride a high-wire on a motorbike with a monkey in tow has been released by a charity to bring attention to the cruelty inflicted on animals in China's zoos and theme parks.

By Peter Foster in Beijing
Published: 9:00PM BST 09 Aug 2010

The image is one of a number of pictures released by the British charity Animals Asia, others show bears being forced to box, toothless tigers riding on the back of horses, pigs being pushed off a 10ft diving board and monkeys performing handstands on the horns of a goat.

They are included in a report, released in Hong Kong, which found widespread maltreatment of animals at 13 safari parks and zoos across China that were visited by their representatives between over the past 12 months.

The scenes are expected to intensify calls for China to speed up the enactment of its first ever animals rights law, a draft proposal of which was submitted to the authorities earlier this year but is yet to receive official approval.

David Neale, Animals Asia's animal welfare director, said that many of the animals were often brutalised during training for their "tricks" and kept in unsanitary, cramped conditions when away from public display.

"The animals are housed in small, barren, concrete enclosures often in darkened rooms at the back of the performance areas away from the visitors," the report said, "Many of the animals have no visible access to water.

Animals have no access to a shelter to hide from individuals within their enclosure, and no attempts are made to meet the behavioural needs of these species."

Mr Neale added: "Animal performances portray the animal to the public in a humiliating way that does not promote empathy and respect. There is little educational value in seeing animals in conditions that do not resemble their natural habitat.

"Teaching animals to perform inappropriate tricks does nothing to educate the public or foster respect for animals. These performances teach the public nothing except for the animals' size, shape and colour" China is increasingly aware of its poor image abroad for animal welfare, and last week the country's State Forestry Administration (SFA) launched a campaign to stop animals being abused for profit and public display.

However, animal rights experts said it would take time to change public attitudes, with it being common to see animal displays that would be considered cruel by most Western audiences drawing large and enthusiastic crowds.

The vastness of China and a lack of funds to compensate the owners whose livelihoods depend on the animals 'working', also made it difficult to enforce new regulations.

Within days of the recent SFA announcement, for example, Chinese newspapers reported that Beijing's zoo was still allowing Lele, a young chimpanzee, to pose for photographs with visitors at £2 per time.

Staff at the zoo explained that plans to cancel the chimp's appearances had been delayed by legal considerations because its owner had a contract with the zoo.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/7934866/Bear-in-high-wire-motorbike-stunt-and-example-of-Chinas-animal-cruelty.html