China’s ‘animal hell’ zoo displays dead snake, dazed bear and crocodile living with rubbish

A zoo in southern China has been described as an animal hell by a visitor with one creature seen dead in its box by a reporter and a pond for a crocodile piled with rubbish, according to a news website report.

The Haikou Golden Bull Ridge Zoo on Hainan island looked like the area had been abandoned on Tuesday, according to the report by Hinews.cn.

The only sign it was operating was a few men playing poker at its gate, charging 30 yuan (US$4.30) for entrance, according to the article.

The zoo has few visitors, many unused facilities and poor sanitation, the report said.

At the snake pavilion, only one animal was alive, but did not move in its box.

Another had been dead for some time, with most boxes empty.

Many animals in the zoo appeared to be in distress and in poor mental condition, with one bear constantly nodding, according to the report.

“This zoo is absolutely the worst hell for animals,” one Chinese tourist wrote on social media.

The report said a manager at the zoo had told the local authorities they didn’t clear the rubbish in the pond for a Nile crocodile because the animal was savage.

The manager was also quoted as saying that one snake’s lack of movement was because it was hibernating and she denied the suggestion that the animals were abused.

The authorities have ordered the zoo to close its snake and crocodiles enclosures for cleaning within two days and to improve overall sanitation, the report said.