PETA flags Chinese zoo for locking animals in cages as floodwaters rose

BEIJING - A zoo in southwestern China locked lions, bears and wolves in their cages as deadly flooding triggered by Typhoon Maysak swept through the region, a decision that the animal rights group PETA on Friday called "unconscionable."

Earlier this week, a zoo in the city of Guigang - one of the hardest-hit cities in the southwestern region of Guangxi - locked up animals to prevent them from escaping when flooding hit the city, Red Star News, a regional outlet, reported.

Three lions drowned and more than 100 animals went missing.

"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 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 as well as ostriches, alpacas, raccoons and peacocks, were washed away, according to a notice that the zoo released on social media, seeking help to locate and recover the missing wildlife.

At least one of the missing zebras has been found dead, 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, yet "simply releasing captive wild animals during a disaster is irresponsible and dangerous for both animals and people," Baker said, calling for evacuation plans and an end to keeping wild animals in zoos.

Reuters could not immediately reach the Guigang Zoo operators 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.

Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus/REUTERS