Barking up wrong tree: Beijing wildlife park denies feeding stray dogs to wolves and tigers
Management rejects claims from internet users, saying it raises wolves and dogs together
The Badaling Wildlife Park on the outskirts of Beijing has denied claims that it feeds stray dogs to wolves, saying a dog photographed sharing a cage with a wolf pup was actually suckling the younger animal.
The allegations surfaced online after internet users posted photos of a dog and a wolf in the same cage and accused the park of using the dog as food for the wild animal.
But unidentified staff at the park said the wolf in the picture had been abandoned by its mother and keepers were nourishing it with the female dog’s milk, The Beijing News reported.
“They were not hostile to each other. There is no problem putting them together in the same cage,” the park worker was quoted as saying.
An unidentified park staff member told the Legal Evening News that several puppies and wolf pups had been raised together and so far none had come to harm.
Responding to another claim circulating online, the staff member also denied the park fed stray dogs to tigers, saying the park’s tigers were fed beef and chicken.
“There are all sorts of bacteria in stray animals so we would never feed them to tigers,” the official said.
The park said tourism and wildlife authorities had investigated the claims and inspected the site, finding no evidence to support the allegations.
