Article about greyhound dogs being made to race against cheetahs:Australian greyhounds forced to race cheetahs at Shanghai Wild Animal Park
I can't play the video on the link so perhaps there's more on there. But, while I get that they are also saying the dogs are allegedly being held in bad conditions, the whole article really smacks of China-bashing and seems designed to appeal to the "white Australia" demographic. Such as how within the space of a breath the writer says that the greyhounds were once "earmarked as future kings and queens of the [Australian] track" but now instead they have to run on a track in China. The use of terms such as "forced" to run is also designed to play the pity card. They're greyhounds - running is the sole thing they are bred for. I'd like to know what happens to greyhounds in Australia when they get too old to run, anyway... I'm also assuming that the photo of Kerry Elliman in front of small concrete pens is at her greyhound rescue centre in the UK.
Indeed a brilliant piece of fake news. That is not to say one cannot have reservations about some of P.R. China's commercial zoo operations vis a vis municipal administration run zoos in P.R. China. I would concur - and probably our China forumsters will agree - that the Shanghai Wild Animal Park does not live up to the same standards as the regular and municipal Shanghai Zoo.
I think it's also worth mentioning that racing cheetahs with greyhounds is a common practice in American zoos - not forced and not for entertainment, but to provide the cheetahs with stimulation and exercise (the San Diego Zoo does, for example).
I understand that among Chinese enthusiasts SWAP is actually held up as an example of a commercial zoo which avoids some of the more egregious practices common in the private sector over here. It is certainly not perfect in that regard however.
2 Indian rhinos went on display : Rhinos from Nepal make 1st public appearance in Shanghai - Xinhua | English.news.cn
Zookeeper killed by bears: Zoo visitors witness Shanghai zookeeper being attacked and killed by bears - Global Times
It seems the lions, tigers and brown bears are no longer in the drive-through area since the gruesome accident. During my visit last week the former bear enclosure housed a large herd of elk (Sichuan deer), sika deer and Père David's deer, while the former lion and tiger enclosures housed zebras and antelopes.
