Chongqing Safari Park China

Chongqing Safari Park China
18-12-2007

Take a look at the website for this place. Animals chained to rocks - thrown live food to devour in front of tourists - performing bears and tigers like out of the last century! Go China - you set such a high record NOT for compassion and respect to our animals.

18-12-2007

Sadly this is not uncommon at all in Chinese zoos, it probably dont come as a suprise to anyone that China has among the worst "zoos" in the world, were the main purpose is to amuse us humans, they dont care if the animal suffers tremendous meanwhile.

I have not been to the Safari Park in Chongging myself (and never will) but I know people who has been and they only have very negative things to say about this place, were most is about taken photos together with the chained animals, to get to feel on them or get close (many of the being drugged) not unusual that the animals have to spend the whole days on a rock without either food or water, and no shelter meaning that they have to be out in the sun for several hours; watch different animals shows were the animals are supposed to performe unnatural behaviours. Feeding with live animals in zoos is said to be illegal even in China but it seems like few cares.

It has been said that they sells alot of tiger cubs to the Chinese "medicin" industry as the tigers in the park is breeding out of control, I have seen reports on the net about people outside the park selling parts or products from animals to the visitors, much coming from the safari park itself.

Said to house 30000-40000 animals in this place, this is nothing more than a animal factory. They have apparently imported the majority of the animals from other countries too, which is even more schocking.

Its very sad to see what this still is going on today, and with places like Chongging safari Park the problem will only get bigger in the future. Places like this should not even be allowed to be set up in the first place and its a big shame that the local authorities dont do anything about it. This place should be shut down, but unlikely as its very popular place for the Chinese population living in and around Chongging.

19-12-2007

Jill Robinson from Animals Asia is trying to educate people to show compassion and respect to our animals in China - see Animals Asia website. God knows how long it will take.

24-12-2007

There is a huge difference in the management of private and public zoos in P.R. of China. The publicly funded zoos now are mostly members of the regional zoo association CAZGA, are involved in coop breeding programmes, develop in situ conservation works and are slowly improving living conditions at the zoos in their care. Their only real concern is the overall lack of sufficient funding for the upkeep of public zoos by the Chinese authorities.

However, the facility you mentioned is a safari park and these are more or less privately run and financed. Heavily drowned in funds, these are prone to the whims of their financial backers and tend to have considerable disqualifications when it comes to housing wild animals and regress to the former habit of engaging wild animals in entertainment shows.

Understand that the serious zoo tradition is China is far less ancient then in Oz or Europe and it is a developping nation. Sure, I do not condone the practice in privately funded zoos ... but that still is the situation. So, refrain from knocking all Chinese zoos for what is wrong with some and for which you lack sufficient background knowledge!

CAZGA makes a real effort to improve all public zoos under its wings and several Chinese NGO's are involved in wildlife and animal welfare issues too. So the situation is improving year on year.

24-12-2007

Sorry Jelle - we will overlook the thousands of bear bile farms (you know the ones where bears are housed in tiny cages from hell and treated horrifically in an effort to extract bile) - how silly of me.............................

24-12-2007

Sorry but just becauase you are member of a organisation or a breeding programme dosent mean that the animals are living in good conditions, or even decent ones. There is plenty of examples throughout Asia concerning zoos involved in different captive breeding programmes were the animals is living in horrible conditions. Sure, the animals reproduce but the conditions leave much to wish for.

We are not "knocking on all Chinese zoos" just those which keep their animals in horrible conditions. I think we all know why the conditions are what they are in Chongging, the place should never have been allowed to even open, if you are not able to afford to keept animals in as natural and good incloaser and condition as possible then they shouldent be allowed to keep them, even if this safari park earned more money they wouldent stop with what they are doing, and how come they have over 30000 animals if they have such a hard time with the economic parts.

24-12-2007

sebbe,

I see your point regarding SE Asia. I think all SE Asian zoos that take themselves seriously should join the regional SEAZA group for starters.

BUT just read my essay over again. I pointed out that this Chongqing Safari Park is one of the commercial operators with enough funding in place. They are not members of the Chinese CAZGA, do not have breeding or conservation programmes and are there solely for financial gain and entertainment, the old days for all Chinese zoos.