Malaysian activists protest over Tiger abuse video
AFP
KUALA LUMPUR- Wildlife activists on Saturday protested at a Malaysian wildlife park over a video posted on YouTube showing a tiger being manhandled for the amusement of visitors.
The two-minute clip shows the handler inviting visitors to take pictures with the tiger while he forces the apparently drowsy animal to sit up and kicks it in the head with his knee to get it to pose.
A Malayan tiger in the National Zoo at Kuala Lumpur on 23rd May
"We can't support any park that doesn't treat animals the way they should be treated," she said from the resort in central Malacca state.
"The tiger is our national icon, people are really upset about this."
The video sparked criticism from other groups, with Friends of the Earth describing it as "horrible and a disgrace".
The wildlife park insisted staff had not abused the tiger and said they had stopped allowing visitors to take photos with the big cat.
A'Famosa general manager Allan Chee earlier said the tiger "was just drowsy and lazy after being fed" and was being prodded to get into position.
There are only 500 wild tigers believed to be left in peninsular Malaysia, a sharp decline from an estimated 3,000 in the 1950s. The government aims to double the population to 1,000 by 2020.
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