It became known that at a tourist site in Hebei province in northern China, a performance was staged that put a black cloth over a monkey's head and tied its arms behind its back to simulate a so-called "execution by shooting."
According to reports by Hong Kong's Sing Tao Daily and other foreign media on the 26th, a video related to the monkey performance that took place at the tourist site in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, has recently spread online.
The video includes a scene of a monkey wearing a yellow vest, kneeling with a black cloth covering its head, its two arms tied behind its back and fixed to a stick.
At the time, many tourists were watching the situation around the site.
Another photo shows a metal muzzle fitted to the monkey's mouth and a long rope tied around its neck. Some photos also capture indications of the monkey's skin peeled and bleeding, prompting allegations of abuse.
It was found that the tourist site staged a performance in which a performer fired a toy gun at the kneeling monkey with a black cloth over its head, causing the monkey to fall.
As the footage spread, the tourist site said it was "only in a cooperative relationship with the performance company," and noted it had "already terminated the contract and halted the show."
While sensational performances using animals continue at some tourist sites in China, critics say legal and institutional safeguards for animal protection are inadequate.
Earlier, a tourist site in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, in the northwest, also halted operations after introducing and running a carousel using live horses, following criticism of animal abuse.