Animal performances continue at China’s zoos and safari parks despite a national ban. Animals Asia is changing attitudes of those behind the cruelty — and those who watch.

If you knew the pain suffered by animals in entertainment you wouldn’t pay to see them exploited, never mind want a souvenir.

In China, the government has issued a national directive banning animal performance. Yet it still continues. For this reason, Animals Asia regularly goes undercover to document the worst offenders.

It’s heart-breaking work, with volunteers and senior staff having to sit through performances of unspeakable cruelty in the name of entertainment.

Animals Asia’s Animal Welfare Director Dave Neale said:

“I’ve seen more animal performances at zoos and safari parks throughout China than I care to remember. Many facilities say they are educating visitors, but animal performance and forcing animals to pose for selfies is nothing but exploitation. It’s cash for cruelty.”

It doesn’t have to be this way and the sacrifice of Animals Asia staff has changed many facilities for the better.

Exposing cruelty

The videos and pictures taken by Animals Asia’s Captive Animal Welfare Team tell the real story of animal performance. Behind the façade of smiling parents and children, is a traumatised animal and a cash transaction.

We know that exposing cruelty works. In 2010, just two months after Animals Asia released a damning report on the cruelty of wild-animal performances in Chinese zoos and safari parks, the Chinese government’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development ordered zoos to end the use of animals in these performances.

Not Born to Perform: Educating the public

This message has been shared widely in China, particularly through an Animals Asia partnership with Beijing Zoo, the country’s flagship captive animal facility.

The zoo has hosted Animals Asia’s anti-animal performance poster competition for two years in a row and exhibited the winning entries on site for thousands of visitors to see.

The emotional work created by the public shows our images are exposing animal selfies and performance for the animal cruelty they really are. 

Leading by example

Animals Asia works directly with captive animal facilities throughout China. Not because we agree with their practices, but because we know collaboration is the best way to help animals in need and elicit change.

Over the years we have worked with no less than 22 zoos as well as collaborating directly with the China Association of Zoological Gardens (CAZG), which sets guidelines for all zoos in the country.

This work has improved the daily lives of thousands of animals, from primates and bears to elephants, tigers and lions.

Animals weren’t born to perform, but across the world, in both east and west, many thousands do, every day of the year. But our work is making it harder for cruelty to hide. Say no to selfies with captive wildlife and let others know so ignorance can no longer be an excuse.

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