A Chinese theme park caused an online outrage after footage of its workers throwing a pig wearing a cape from a bungee jump tower has gone viral.

The incident took place at the Meixin Red Wine Town theme park, in Chongqing in south-western China. In the video, the pig can be heard screaming as it fell down from a 70-meter-high tower. Watchers can also be heard laughing at the expense of the terrified animal's safety.

 

It is reported that the stunt was pulled to celebrate the opening of their new bungee attraction.

Furious netizens slammed the theme park for its "vulgar marketing tactic". They said that this is a form of animal abuse for the sake of entertainment, while others demanded an apology.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals also lambasted the park, calling the stunt "disgusting" and saying this should be illegal. They also told the BBC that like humans, pigs can also feel pain and fear.

Jacqueline Mills, Head of Campaigns, Farming at World Animal Protection, also said that pigs have high cognitive ability and are sensitive to their surroundings and human handling.

She added that the pig is probably traumatized and physically injured after the stunt.

In defense, the owner told the local media outlets that this symbolizes how the price of pork dropped this year after it surged before.

However, they changed their stance after the Chinese authorities instructed them to apologize. They also promised to improve the marketing tactics to "provide tourists with better services."

It is reported that the pig was sent to a slaughterhouse after.

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Animal Cruelty in China

China has always been notorious for ignoring the moral standards for the sake of progress. The same is true among animals.

Last year, PETA exposed Chinese research institutes for using animals for car crash tests. This experiment involves forcing a pig or dog to sit uprightly the same way humans do in a car before slamming them into a wall at high speeds.

As a result, animals are pulverized, leaving them with multiple internal injuries and broken bones. Then, they will be dissected to identify their injuries.

According to the animal rights group, since those animals have different body structures, the data from this "horrific experiment" is not applicable to humans at all.

They also added that other companies have been using mannequins or human cadavers for years since those companies have already recognized that such "cruel, archaic, and unjustifiable" are worthless.

PETA already wrote a letter addressed to the institute's director and president, Dr. Jihong Zhou, and Dr. Lin Zhou, to stop the practice.

There are currently no laws against animal cruelty in China. However, as animal welfare concerns grow in Asian nations, Chinese activists have been calling out their government to introduce legal protection for animals.