The Hong Kong-based Animals Asia Foundation said its research at 13 Chinese zoos and safari parks found evidence of "the barbaric treatment of animals and the poor living conditions they are forced to endure".
Pigs forced to dive into water, monkeys riding bicycles and boxing bouts between bears are just some of the "cruel and abusive practices" used to increase revenue at Chinese zoos, an animal rights group said Monday.
The Hong Kong-based Animals Asia Foundation said its research at 13 Chinese zoos and safari parks found evidence of "the barbaric treatment of animals and the poor living conditions they are forced to endure".
Among the examples of abuses listed in the group's report were bears being "punched and beaten with sticks" to force them to box, and elephants jabbed with metal hooks to force them to stand on their heads.
"Animal performances portray the animal to the public in a humiliating way that does not promote empathy and respect," David Neale, Animals Asia's director for animal welfare, said in a statement.
"Teaching animals to perform inappropriate tricks does nothing to educate the public or foster respect for animals," Neale said.
"These performances teach the public nothing except for the animals' size, shape and colour," he said.
The animals were "forced through fear, intimidation and in some cases physical force to perform unnatural tricks," the report said.
Many performing tigers and lions had their teeth and claws removed, "causing chronic pain" and potential infection, it said.
"The animals are housed in small, barren, concrete enclosures often in darkened rooms at the back of the performance areas away from the visitors," Animals Asia said.
"Many of the animals have no visible access to water ... (and) no access to a shelter to hide from individuals within their enclosure," it said.
Asiatic black bears performed at 90 percent of the parks and zoos visited, while 75 percent of the centres housed performing monkeys and tigers, the report said.
Three of the zoos forced bears to ride motorcycles across a highwire and half a dozen zoos made monkeys perform handstands on the horns of goats, sometimes while the goats balanced on a tightrope.
The group said the Chinese government recently announced a campaign against the maltreatment of captive animals, but it was not clear if the campaign would stop all the practices highlighted in the report.
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