Hyping the idea of humans and tigers living together has landed a local animal wildlife park in hot water, as regulators have come down hard, fining the park for violating the relevant provisions of China’s Advertising Law. As for the tigers, they’re used to this kind drama.
It was back on 1 April when Changzhou Yancheng Wild Animal World began their marketing promotion that comprised cash incentives of ¥100,000 per hour for those prepared to spend time in the tigers’ enclosure.
Needless to say, local media got interested, contacting the park the following day. The park responded that it was a genuine offer and the promotion was open to all, but that life safety was not guaranteed.
A member of staff member said, “Registration has closed now. It was booked out within 1 hour”, reported The Paper.
The plan had been to give participants a tent they could use for shelter during their stay in the tigers’ enclosure. However, it transpired that the park’s white tigers were uncontrollable in their rejection of the tents, tearing them into pieces in an instant.
This prompted Yancheng Wild Animal World to issue an announcement stating that the “Tent with Tigers” event was suspended due to force majeure. The park also expressed that it would select more gentle animals to continue such activities in the future.
But now the park has now been punished under the Advertising Law for the illegal act of publishing advertisements containing prohibited circumstances. As a result, the Wujin District Market Supervision Bureau of Changzhou imposed an administrative penalty of ¥250,000 on the parties concerned in accordance with the law.
This is also not the first time the park and its tigers have become mired in controversy. Back in 2017 and angry at not receiving any dividends, shareholders moved to sell some of the park’s animals. Blocked from doing so, the furious shareholders then took revenge by throwing a live donkey into the tigers enclosure in front of an audience.
That donkey suffered the same fate which might have befallen participants in “Tent with Tigers”; it was mauled to death.
