A white Bengal tiger has gone viral for going around in circles in a small outdoor exercise area at the Beijing Zoo.
In the video, which has over 10 million views, the tiger looked depressed. According to Daily Mail, the tiger was "pacing endlessly as it created a large circular mark on the ground with its unchanged path."
However, the Beijing Zoo said the video was not taken recently because zookeepers took the tiger away from display after noticing the strange behavior.
Tiger love and care
"There is no enough room. It's ill, mentally ill." "The tiger looks depressed." These were just some of the comments on the viral video.
According to a staff member of the Beijing Zoo, the tiger only displayed something normal. "This kind of behaviours is expected after animals have stayed in a zoo for a long time," the staff member said.
The Beijing Zoo gave behavior training to help the tiger return to normal. "We also brought more food and toys for the tiger. It's like psychological counselling," one of its zookeepers said.
Daily Star reported the tiger to be in another enclosure. The tiger "has reportedly been offered other activities such as swimming and the use of a jungle gym for alternative stimuli since last week."
However, the tiger is still walking in circles in the first week of April, Daily Star said, with pictures posted to social media by concerned netizens.
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Animal behaviorist Louis Dorfman said tigers, like other mammals, "experience all the same emotions as do we: love, hate, anger, irritation, frustration, affection, jealousy, and resentment."
Tigers react to stimulation to a greater degree than other species. There are things that affect them more, such as barometric pressure, noises, wind, etc., Dorfman added.
Another viral zoo
Yunnan Safari Park also became viral after a video posted on Weibo showed Chinese visitors feeding captive tigers using fishing poles, according to Internewscast. Chinese media said the program, called "fishing tigers" was established to educate visitors about nature and wildlife.
However, a Weibo user called the program cruel. The zoo explained that the program was designed to help the tigers remain active.
It's still unknown when the program was shot.
In the video, a group of tourists was swinging their fishing poles with raw meat attached to them in order to attract the tigers below them. Some of them were children.
Like the Beijing Zoo, Yunnan Safari Park received flak for allowing such activity to happen. One user said the activity allowed "tourists to poke fun at all the animals. 'Wild animals shouldn't be used as a tool for the park to make a profit!"
Another user said, "Where are your morals to make this kind of money? How can you protect them when you can't give them the least of respect?"
Following the backlash, the zoo has canceled fishing tigers permanently.
According to Yunnan Safari Park, no one has been attacked by tigers since it opened 10 years ago. "Our zookeepers also feed animals like this. It helps us to test the tigers' ability to hunt for food," the wildlife park said.
