Three lions drowned in floodwaters triggered by a devastating typhoon after a Chinese zoo locked animals in their cages to prevent them from escaping.
Animal activists have labelled the move “unconscionable” and called for animal evacuation plans in the event of natural disasters.
Guigang Zoo, in the country’s southwest, locked the lions, along with bears and wolves, in their cages as flooding triggered by Typhoon Maysak swept through the region.
“We didn’t want to create more trouble for the country when the floods came and let dangerous animals escape and hurt people,” Red Star News, a regional outlet, cited the owner of the Guigang Zoo as saying.
Floodwaters at the zoo rose to more than 2 metres (6.6 feet).
More than 100 other animals, including a pair of zebras, three miniature ponies, ostriches, alpacas, raccoons and peacocks, were washed away, according to a notice that the zoo released on social media.
The zoo is now seeking help to locate and recover the missing wildlife.
At least one of the missing zebras had since been found dead, the state-backed Global Times later reported.
The brown bears and wolves that had been locked in their cages were in poor condition after nearly drowning in the flood, it said.
“The tragedy unfolding in Guangxi, China, should be a warning to every zoo and captive wildlife facility in the path of extreme weather,” said Jason Baker, the Asia president of PETA, in a statement.
It is “unconscionable” to leave animals trapped behind bars as floodwaters rise, he said.
However, “simply releasing captive wild animals during a disaster is irresponsible and dangerous for both animals and people”, Mr Baker said, calling for evacuation plans and an end to keeping wild animals in zoos.
The Guigang Zoo operators could not be immediately reached for comment.
In the neighbouring Guangxi city of Hengzhou, the flooding levelled a snake farm, unleashing hundreds of cobras, king ratsnakes and water snakes into the floodwaters.
A woman from Hengzhou died after being bitten by a snake, the state-backed Beijing News reported.
Typhoon Maysak killed at least 39 people this week in southern China, triggering extreme flooding that breached reservoirs and left entire towns flooded and severely damaged.
The region is bracing for an even stronger typhoon, Bavi, which is expected to make landfall in southeast China on Saturday.
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