Outrage as Chinese animal trainers are caught brutally whipping a rare White Tiger 'forcing the scared animal to perform at a circus show'

  • Staff at the Hangzhou Safari Park have been accused of animal abuse
  • Social media video shows the trainers beating tigers at a circus show 
  • The park has denied that they had maltreated the rare animal

Staff at a Chinese zoo have been accused of maltreating a White Tiger forcing it to perform at a circus show.

Users on Chinese social media were outraged after a video emerged showing trainers at the Hangzhou Safari Park whipping the rare animal on stage.

The park, a highly rated scenic spot in China, denied they had treated the White Tiger cruelly and insisted that the video had captured an accidental incident, according to People's Daily Online.

Animal trainers at Hangzhou Safari Park have recently been caught whipping a white tiger

Animal trainers at Hangzhou Safari Park have recently been caught whipping a white tiger

The tiger appeared to be terrified and tried to pull a whip out of a trainer's hand

The tiger appeared to be terrified and tried to pull a whip out of a trainer's hand

The video was originally posted on Weibo, a Chinese micro-blogging platform, by an account called 'rescue performance animals project,' on January 12. 

The account is based in Beijing and is an animal protection organisation, according to the descriptions on the account page.

At the beginning of the video, one White Tiger, appearing scared, tried to pull a whip out of a trainer's hand. Upon seeing this, another trainer stepped up to whip the animal.

The tiger then retreated from the stage, but fell into a pool, the video shows. 

Another tiger ran towards the pool. It appeared to be checking on the fallen tiger. 

One animal trainer, with a whip in his hand, can be heard yelling at the second tiger 'go back' as he whipped it twice.  

On January 22, the Hangzhou Safari Park denied they had maltreated the tigers in a social media post on the park's official account (pictured)

On January 22, the Hangzhou Safari Park denied they had maltreated the tigers in a social media post on the park's official account (pictured)

Another trainer, in blue, stepped up and whipped the tiger as it did not want to perform

Another trainer, in blue, stepped up and whipped the tiger as it did not want to perform

The two animal trainers tried to force the animal back to the stage during the circus show

The two animal trainers tried to force the animal back to the stage during the circus show

In the latter part of the video, one of the tigers can be seen having blood on its face while performing on stage.

The post suggested that the wound on the tiger's face had been caused by the beatings. The uploader also claimed that the circus tigers' fangs had been removed by the trainers.

Together with another tiger, the wounded tiger was forced to stand up on its hind legs for the spectators. 

A female voice can be heard saying: 'The king of all animals wish your life to be lucky, happy and healthy.'

The video has caused an outcry on Weibo, with many people calling the park 'cruel', 'inhumane' and 'heartless'.

The video has gathered more than 24 million clicks so far.

While replying to comments, the account owner of 'rescue performance animals project' urged the public to report the incident to the Hangzhou citizens' complaint hot line.

On January 22, the Hangzhou Safari Park denied that their staff had maltreated the tigers.

Eventually, the tiger retreated from the stage, but fell into a pool at the circus show in China

Eventually, the tiger retreated from the stage, but fell into a pool at the circus show in China

Another tiger ran towards the pool. It appeared to be checking on the fallen tiger

Another tiger ran towards the pool. It appeared to be checking on the fallen tiger

The park posted a statement on its Weibo account, claiming that they had carried out an in-depth investigation and found out 'there is no animal abuse in the performance'.

The statement stressed that what the video had captured had been an accidental incident.

It went on saying that the park 'will strengthen its management and fully protect the well-being of animals'.

MailOnline conducted a phone interview with a manager at the Hangzhou Safari Park surnamed Ma today.

Mr Ma confirmed that the park runs circus shows every day and the shows include performance from 'tigers, dogs as well as human beings'. 

When asked how the park had conducted their investigation, Mr Ma said: 'But did you see the beatings in the video?' 

Then Mr Ma said he could not comment further before hanging up the phone.

Hangzhou Safari Park was founded in 2002 and occupies 577 acres, according to its website. It is listed as a '4A' scenic spot by China's National Tourism Administration, the second to the best on the five-tier grading system.

The video also shows one of the tigers having blood on its face while performing on stage

The video also shows one of the tigers having blood on its face while performing on stage

It has been suggested that the wound on the tiger's face had been caused by the beatings

It has been suggested that the wound on the tiger's face had been caused by the beatings

The wounded tiger was forced to wish the spectators to be 'lucky, happy and healthy'

The wounded tiger was forced to wish the spectators to be 'lucky, happy and healthy'

The horrifying video has also caught the attention of international animal protection groups. 

PETA Asia wrote on its Weibo account on January 22: 'It is not only cruel to watch caged animals being forced to perform, it is also dangerous.

'Please repost this and tell the local authorities to stop animal performances.' 

Speaking to MailOnline, Elisa Allen, Director, PETA UK, said: 'A business that can only exist by treating wild animals as commodities will hardly come clean about the abuse that it routinely inflicts on them to keep them subservient – but the video footage speaks for itself. 

'Wild animals don't perform on stage because they want to, they do it because they've learned that if they don't, they'll be whipped, beaten, or otherwise tormented.' 

White Tigers have a rare genetic anomaly and have always been extremely rare in the wild

White Tigers have a rare genetic anomaly and have always been extremely rare in the wild

Wendy Higgins from Humane Society International condemned the trainers' cruel behaviour towards the tigers.

She told MailOnline: 'Forcing animals to perform humiliating and degrading tricks at the circus is exploitation, not entertainment.

'It's quite clear to see from this video that the tigers at this show are in a perpetual state of anxiety and unease, subjected to constant punishment training from which there is no escape in the tiny ring.'

Ms Higgins added: 'Using violence and fear to dominate wild animals so that their misery can be marketed as fun, degrades all humanity and it is high time that animal circuses are consigned to the history books.'

White Tigers have a rare genetic anomaly and have always been extremely rare in the wild, but their striking colour has made them popular with zoos and circuses.

They are a rare subspecies of Bengal Tigers and are native to east Asia. According to WWF, the Bengal Tigers are 'endangered'.

Habitat loss and poaching are key threats to the survival of the Bengal Tiger.