China: Zoo glues basket to tortoise's back for tourists to throw money

A photo was shared on some social media platform which showed a photo of a tortoise at a Chinese zoo with a basket glued to its shell for tourists to put money into it. The photos that went viral shows visitors at the Nanning zoo in Guangxi, putting coins at the African spurred tortoise, which has a basket placed on its back and a Chinese flag attached to it. The images of the tortoise were shared on the Chinese social media website.

READ: Tortoise Said To Be 344 Years Old With Healing Powers, Dies In Nigeria

The post blamed the zoo for animal cruelty

The post blamed the zoo for animal cruelty and attempting to make money out of the tourists and furthermore asked the National Forestry Bureau and state media to examine the issue. The post additionally said that the tortoise was being kept in a terrible situation. A zoo official stated to a media agency that he was not aware of the zoo using this method to exhibit precious animals. According to the reports, the zoo is now investigating the whole matter. Despite the fact that throwing coins is viewed as good karma in China, yet that ought to never be the situation at the cost of a creature's safety.

READ: Tortoise Feared Extinct Found On Remote Galapagos Island

The African spurred tortoise

The African spurred tortoise also known as sulcata tortoise is mostly found in the southern edge of the Sahara desert in Africa. It is the third-largest species of tortoise in the world. They are especially found in the countries of  Burkina Faso, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Somalia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sudan. In these arid regions, the tortoise excavates burrows in the ground to get to areas with higher moisture levels and spends the hottest part of the day in these burrows. They are the third-largest species of tortoise in the world and the largest of the mainland tortoises. The adults can reach 83 cm and can weigh 105 kg. They are herbivores in nature and their diet consists of grasses and plants which is high in fibre and low in protein.

READ: Tortoise Said To Be 344 Years Old With Healing Powers, Dies In Nigeria

READ: Tortoise Feared Extinct Found On Remote Galapagos Island

(with agency inputs)