Chinese wildlife named Qingdao Forest Wildlife World has stopped its animal circus permanently amid the coronavirus pandemic. The animal park used to have housefull shows where bears were made to do handstands and monkeys rode tiny bikes. A spokesperson of the zoo said that they stopped such performances on April 1 trying to raise awareness about wildlife protection. Li Huanbin, the spokesperson of the park said that the zoo was trying to educate the public about wild animals and teaching them to love the wild.  DISTURBING! Chimpanzee Forced to Wear Face Mask, Ride Bicycle and Spray Coronavirus Disinfectant at Thailand Zoo, Animal-Cruelty Video Goes Viral.

Qingdao Forest Wildlife World is a 300-acre park situated in eastern China. They opened in 2003 and have around 5,000 animals belonging to 263 species. The park said that although they try to change the form of the animal show multiple times, audiences did not like it. The park's management in a social media post claimed that many visitors had urged them to carry on with the performance. Some even filed complaints with the local authorities mounting pressure on them to keep the shows running. Bear Attacks Trainer in Front of Live Audience at Russian Circus, Terrifying Video Goes Viral.

They also have a series of educational programmes to inspire children and adults to love and care for wild animals. He said that they had to permanently cancel the animal circus. Most of the animals at the zoo are rescued. This comes amidst coronavirus outbreak which is believed to have come from wildanimals sold as food at the wet mark in Wuhan city of China. The Chinese central government had thereafter put a temporary ban on the trading and eating of exotic meat in February.

The park's announcement was supported by animal charity groups including PETA Asia which termed their decision as a 'progressive step'. While China has laws to support wildlife, there is a lack of legislation to protect them. However, there is an increase in animal welfare groups in China in recent times.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 23, 2020 09:07 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).