A zoo crocodile has been injured after a group of unruly tourists allegedly threw huge rocks at it to see if the reptile was real.
The tourists, said to be a family comprising adults and children, assaulted the 1.25-tonne animal after seeing it lying in its enclosure 'too still', thinking it might be fake, according to Chinese media.
It is said that the family continued pelting the reptile, a protected species in China, with stones as large as 6.6 inches in diameter until it started bleeding.
The attackers laughed and had pictures taken with the animal after it 'moved a little', and then fled the scene, reported China Central Television Station.
The shocking incident took place at around noon last Wednesday at the China-Africa Wildlife Zoo in Xiamen, south-east China's Fujian Province.
The crocodile sustained injuries on the head, body and toe, and is currently under around-the-clock care.
Measuring 19 feet long, the 37-year-old male crocodile named Xiao He or Little River is an animal star in the city.
Dubbed the 'Crocodile King', it was given to the zoo by an animal lover from Taiwan last year and is said to be the largest crocodile in south-east Asia.
According to a spokesperson from the zoo, eyewitnesses claimed that many tourists were telling the family to stop when they assaulted Xiao He, but they only left when it started to bleed.
Xu Zhanhui, a director at the zoo, condemned the culprits to local news site The Paper: 'How much strength did they use while throwing the stones to break a crocodile's thick skin?'
Xu said Xiao He had been harassed by tourists in the past, but it had never been hurt like this. He also said that the stones the attackers used measured around 6.6 inches wide, and Xiao He sustained a one-inch-long wound on the head.
However, Xu said it would be difficult to find the culprits because there was no surveillance cameras installed in the enclosure.
The zoo's head vet, Lu, brought a medical team to Xiao He's enclosure to treat it after being alerted of the incident.
Vet Lu told China Central Television Station that crocodiles have a slower metabolism in autumn and winter, therefore it would take a long time for Xiao He to heal and it would have higher chances of experiencing inflammation.
Police have launched an investigation into the case, reported Xiamen's Taihainet.
The tourists, said to be a family comprising adults and children, assaulted the 1.25-tonne animal after seeing it lying in its enclosure 'too still', thinking it might be fake, according to Chinese media.
It is said that the family continued pelting the reptile, a protected species in China, with stones as large as 6.6 inches in diameter until it started bleeding.
The attackers laughed and had pictures taken with the animal after it 'moved a little', and then fled the scene, reported China Central Television Station.
The shocking incident took place at around noon last Wednesday at the China-Africa Wildlife Zoo in Xiamen, south-east China's Fujian Province.
The crocodile sustained injuries on the head, body and toe, and is currently under around-the-clock care.
Measuring 19 feet long, the 37-year-old male crocodile named Xiao He or Little River is an animal star in the city.
Dubbed the 'Crocodile King', it was given to the zoo by an animal lover from Taiwan last year and is said to be the largest crocodile in south-east Asia.
According to a spokesperson from the zoo, eyewitnesses claimed that many tourists were telling the family to stop when they assaulted Xiao He, but they only left when it started to bleed.
Xu Zhanhui, a director at the zoo, condemned the culprits to local news site The Paper: 'How much strength did they use while throwing the stones to break a crocodile's thick skin?'
Xu said Xiao He had been harassed by tourists in the past, but it had never been hurt like this. He also said that the stones the attackers used measured around 6.6 inches wide, and Xiao He sustained a one-inch-long wound on the head.
However, Xu said it would be difficult to find the culprits because there was no surveillance cameras installed in the enclosure.
The zoo's head vet, Lu, brought a medical team to Xiao He's enclosure to treat it after being alerted of the incident.
Vet Lu told China Central Television Station that crocodiles have a slower metabolism in autumn and winter, therefore it would take a long time for Xiao He to heal and it would have higher chances of experiencing inflammation.
Police have launched an investigation into the case, reported Xiamen's Taihainet.
Music: "Rains Will Fall" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Source: Daily Mail, News CCTV
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