‘Camels not on strike’: rides at Silk Road tourist site in China resume after break as authority denies claims some animals ‘died of exhaustion’
- Footage showing camels used for tourist rides at Silk Road site unable to stand being dragged by handlers raises abuse fears
- Suspension of camel rides after footage emerged online causes further alarm, with some making dark jokes about camels ‘on strike’
A famous Silk Road site in China is under fire after footage showed camels used for tourist rides unable to stand and crying in pain while being dragged across the sand by staff appeared online.
The distressing footage of the camels was filmed at Mingsha Mountain in Dunhuang in Gansu province, northwestern China, and was posted online earlier this month.
It has raised public concerns the animals are being overworked providing camel rides to tourists. However, reports that some camels have died as a result have been denied by authorities, news site The Paper reported.
The suspension of camel rides at the site on July 18 caused further alarm, with some people online expressing dark humour in jokes about camels “on strike”.
“Even the camels are tools for making money. Please care and love them. They are also living things,” one commented on mainland social media.
“The weather is very hot, and camels will probably get heatstroke. Please be kind to those animal friends,” another person said.