On May 13th, the news of 20 Siberian tigers dying at the Fuyang Wildlife Park in Anhui province has sparked attention on social media platforms. Following this tragic incident, the wildlife park issued a temporary closure notice on the same day.
According to a report from “Chinese Philanthropist” magazine, an investigation revealed that the Fuyang Wildlife Park unlawfully exhibited and bred Siberian tigers, a nationally protected species, without obtaining the necessary permits for artificial breeding.
It was reported that due to disputes over the park’s management rights, a large number of wild animals, including 20 Siberian tigers, 2 African lions, and 3 giraffes, among other precious wildlife, have perished.
The surviving 16 Siberian tigers, African lions, giraffes, and black bears, as well as other animals in the park, are now facing a crisis in their survival. These animals have been kept in transport cages for an extended period under extremely harsh living conditions.
Fuyang Wildlife Park, operated by Anhui Qicai Wildlife Park Co., Ltd. (referred to as “Qicai Company”), is a privately-owned zoo. In April 2018, the company signed a contract with Fuyang Tengfei Domestication Performance Co., Ltd. (referred to as “Tengfei Company”) to acquire 33 Siberian tigers, 5 African lions, 11 black bears, and other animals for a total price of 2.543 million RMB.
According to the report, Li Lianghua, the legal representative of Tengfei Company, stated that due to the management disputes at the park, the park stopped paying employee salaries, dismissed all technical staff, cut off water and electricity supply, leading to wild animals either dying of hunger and thirst or being sick and weak.
The construction of Fuyang Wildlife Park faced difficulties due to land use issues, resulting in a suspension of construction for nearly two years. At that time, the “unfinished” park did not meet the necessary standards for the survival of wild animals, leading to the introduction of 12 giraffes, with one of them dying abnormally shortly after.
Data from Tengfei Company showed that from October 2019 to March 2023, a total of 10 Siberian tigers died, with only 1 out of 11 tiger cubs born between June 2020 and August 2023 surviving. Additionally, 2 African lions died in May 2021 and August 2023, while one adult giraffe died in 2019 and two giraffes born in 2023 also passed away. There were also varying numbers of deaths among small primates and other animals.
During a journalist’s visit on May 10th, it was observed that the bodies of the deceased wildlife, including cubs, Siberian tigers, African lions, giraffes, and black bears, were still being stored in a freezer. These bodies were piled up in a roughly 10-square-meter cold storage room, awaiting proper handling.
Following the public outcry over this incident, the Fuyang Wildlife Park announced a temporary closure on May 13th. They stated that due to the hot weather, some facilities within the park are undergoing upgrades, leading to a three-day closure from May 13th to May 15th, with normal operations resuming on Thursday, May 16th.