Chinese theme park forces pig to bungee jump wearing a cape in sickening video

The distressing stunt went viral on Weibo, China’s popular social media platform. The footage shows the unfortunate animal being carried up a metal staircase, with its feet tied up to prevent it escaping. Squeals are audible as the pig, wearing a cape, plunges downwards while a crowd hoots with laughter and cheers loudly.

The 75kg pig, which had its feet tied up so it could not escape, was then dressed in a cape and secured to bungee ropes before being pushed off.

The park, in the south-western region of Chongqing, tried to justify the stunt by explaining it was intended to promote the first day of its bungee attraction.

However, Weibo users were unimpressed, with one commenting: “You can’t torture pigs just because the Year of the Pig has passed.”

Another added: “This is animal cruelty, no doubt about it.

“I recommend we tie the organiser up to do the bungee jump instead.”

Initially, the park’s response was flippant, with the owner telling local media outlets: “We let the pig make the first jump on our opening day because pork prices have been very high this year and recently they dropped a bit.”

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The unnamed man said the stunt marked the end of Year of the Pig and the start of the Year of the Rat on Saturday.

A public relations officer also described the stunt as “just a bit of entertainment”.

He added that the pig had been taken to a slaughterhouse afterwards.

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However, the park subsequently issued a statement in which it said: “We sincerely accept netizens’ criticism and advice and apologised to the public.

“We will improve our marketing of the tourist site, to provide tourists with better services.”

Animal cruelty is not prohibited in China – however the country is increasingly aware of animal welfare issues, as evidenced by protests against the notorious Yulin dog meat festival.

Jason Baker, PETA Asia’s Vice President of International Campaigns, told the Independent: “This is cruelty to animals at its worst.

“A bungee jump is a scary experience even for consenting humans – just imagine the outright terror of being forcibly strung up by your legs and thrown from a high platform.

“That’s the treatment that this pig received, all for a cheap laugh.

“Pigs experience pain and fear, just as we do, and this kind of disgusting PR stunt should be illegal.

“The theme park deserves every shred of the backlash it’s receiving online, and the Chinese public’s angry response should be a wake-up call to China’s policymakers that they must implement animal protection laws immediately.”

source: express.co.uk