HONG KONG — Visitors at a zoo in eastern China got the shock of their lives on Monday (June 5) when a group of men suddenly appeared and threw a live donkey into the tiger enclosure, the Modern Express newspaper reported.

The donkey died after about half an hour of being mauled by the tigers at the zoo in Changzhou, Jiangsu province.

A video of the incident that appeared online prompted a stream of angry comments on social media.

A witness told the paper that the men, wearing red raincoats, drove up to the enclosure with a truck, pushed the donkey in and then tried to throw a goat in too, but were stopped by visitors and security staff.

A zoo official told the paper that a shareholder involved in a dispute with the zoo was behind the incident.

The shareholder had arranged for the group of men to take some of the zoo’s animals, including the donkey, outside and sell them.

But they were stopped by security and then tried to push the animals into the tiger enclosure instead, the official said.

Mainland social media users strongly criticised the action and called for more care for animals in zoos.

One wrote :”the donkey screamed miserably when it was pushed down. What has a donkey to do with humans’ problems? ”

“From this kind of action, (I) cannot see their care towards animals. How they can set up a zoo?,” another said. SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST