This Isn't What You Expect at a Zoo...

joey · 03-16-05, 10:38 AM

BEIJING (Reuters) - Safari parks in China have agreed to stop feeding their lions and tigers large live animals such as horses -- at least in public.

The gory eating habits could lead visitors to believe that animals, both hunter and prey, were only human playthings, Xinhua news agency on Wednesday quoted Xie Youxin, the deputy general manager of the Wild Animal World in Chengdu, as saying.

"The bloody scene could also have implanted violent tendencies in youngsters," he said. Chengdu is the capital of southwestern Sichuan province.

Managers of 22 of 30 safari parks nationwide who signed an agreement last week said they acknowledged that wild animals had the same sense of "agony, terror and annoyance" as human beings.

Animal rights activists have criticized the state of China's zoos and the mistreatment of wild animals captured for their fur, or in the case of bears, for the healing power of their bile.

But the safari park agreement only restricts the release of large domestic animals, such as oxen and horses, during the presence of visitors, the agency said.

"Feeding when the park is not open is permitted. Parks are allowed to continue to sell small birds for visitors to feed the wild beasts."

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what do you think about this?

HeatherRose · 03-16-05, 12:20 PM

Not too different from watching lions eat gazelles on the Discovery Channel... although being up close like that might be neat. Everything's gotta eat :flick:

joey · 03-16-05, 12:26 PM

...sounds like something you'd see on the Simpson's.

marisa · 03-16-05, 02:09 PM

I don't see a problem with it now that they have removed this sort of thing when the parks open. Everything has to eat and when I think about how the lions normally do endless pacing over and over in their enclosures, I can only assume daily life for them sucks.

But just like snakes, you'd think they'd want to protect the lions from injury by feeding them only pre killed food. Even against a lion or lionS a zerba or horse can cause damage. But if thats not the case, I don't see a problem with it at all.

Marisa

joey · 03-16-05, 03:21 PM

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...kp_photo0&e=12

i dunno guys this seems like it could be extremely brutal.

HeatherRose · 03-16-05, 03:23 PM

Zoo animals are fed meat no matter what, instead of being inhumanely slaughtered by people for hamburgers, the cows are inhumanely eaten...

I agree that it's probably not the best thing for younger zoo visitors to see though. Yikes.

peterm15 · 03-16-05, 03:29 PM

ya its prob not the best thing but i really dont see a pro with it either.. it wouldnt be to bad if the prey was dropped a distance away from the lion to create natural hunting instincts but dropped right in fromt is kinda sad..but like i said its really no better than feeding a live mouse

marisa · 03-16-05, 03:35 PM

Photo doesn't change my opinion. LOL. Either the cows are slaughtered a week beforehand or a lion kills them. I don't see a differance either way. The problem is what Heather mentioned, kids and the like seeing the "extreme" realities of life when they probably don't need to yet. But realities all the same.

Marisa

nita · 03-16-05, 04:01 PM

I was thinking gee that must be a calf but I forget how darn big lions are! LOL, I don't see why they need to feed them in public view but don't see much problem with what they are feeding them. I agree they could just release the feed animals into the enclosure and let the lions hunt naturally rather than sticking the food right in front of them like a big cat toy!

greenman1867 · 03-16-05, 04:12 PM

LOL You jump all over (being drastic to drive a point in a bit) people who want to feed their Ball Pythons live mice and rats, yet this is okay? I don't think so. What if one of those poor horses kicked a tiger and killed it? Not so fun now huh? Tigers/Lin etc will eat F/T horse steak if you watch Jeff Favelles video and learn from it.

First the handler must enter the cage very slowly, and at night. Holding a dripping bloody steak in a set of 12" tongs (I wouldn't go shoter than 12" anyways). The handler must also make sure he has several other peices of various dead animals, prefferably freshly thawed, stuffed into his pockets incase one peice isn't enough. Then, slowely approach the tiger. Once within 6-8 feet, he/she must run up, whack the tiger on the nose (ala Seigfreid and Roy) with the bloody steak. This will illicit a "feeding response" from said tiger.

I say if they did that and put cameras on it. I would watch

Aside from any sarcasm in this post, there is no reason to feed zoo animals anything live (Unless it's handlers)

Shawn

Anyways,

sapphire_moon · 03-16-05, 04:24 PM

I don't think the cow should have been dropped right in front of the lion, assuming it is a WILD lion, then it should have been dropped at a distance to make them hunt the cows.

If it were a hand raised lion, then should be fed a slab of beef

I feel the same way about wc snakes, should be fed their natural prey item (ovbiously a lion and cow have more room to run/chase) so it would have to be done carefully. But if at all possible switched to f/t diet. As most snakes are not housed in couch size encloseures to be able to hunt the prey.

Though I am torn on it, as I always assumed zoo's fed prekilled prey to their predators. And I think that all captive predators should be fed pk or f/t if only for the saftey of the predator.....

ahh jeeze, now i've confused myself...lol

joey · 03-16-05, 04:57 PM

I definately think that if the cats are captive bred and taken from their mothers to be raised by humans than they should NOT be fed live prey. The mama cats are the ones who teach their young how to kill and kill quickly. These jokers seem to get a kick out of sticking a calf in the vicinity of the cats to 'play with' until death. That seems very cruel to me...

HeatherRose · 03-16-05, 05:01 PM

I went to a zoo once, and they fed the large cats hamburgercicles in the summer. Yum.

There is a concern for the cats in question, I think a horse/cow could do a lot of damage.

Wizwise2000 · 03-18-05, 09:00 AM

Don't see a reason to feed live? Well, Lions, Tigers etc are animals, they have souls, and instinct. As Marisa said, those animals do endless pacing, because they are bored. I highly doubt those animals like being kept in a 40'x40' enclosure that, to humans best ability mimics thier natural habitat. So, feeding live in my opinion keeps thier spirit alive. I think they need, and deserve it.

Yes, I do feel sorry for the cows. But one way or another the cattle are going to die, weather they are fed to a lion, or sent to Mc Donalds.

Shane

Rose97 · 03-18-05, 11:45 PM

I agree that all animals need to eat regardless of what species it is. But to throw a cow right in a lions face like that (figure of speech) just doesn't look good. I also think that the zoo in China should continue to feed there big cats the way they do, BUT NOT IN FRONT OF THE PUBLIC . Because if they did change to dead food i would think the chances of one of the handlers being attacked would increase. Simple because the zoo started feeding there big cats live food in the begining. But if the animals in question are wild then they should continue to feed there big cats live food, because thats all they'd know. Except the occasional dead animal they'd come across in the wild.

Rose