Bears skipping, lions walking on balls and monkeys riding a bike: Inside the park where animals train to 'entertain' the public



This is the place that fuels China's appetite for watching wild animals perform.



At the Niao Yu Lin Park in Harbin, capital of the north-eastern Heilongjiang Province, animals are trained in horrific conditions to do tricks ahead of China's Mid-autumn Festival and National Day.

The park's 'entertainment' programs include bear rope skipping, dogs jumping through hoops, ball walking for lions and bike riding for monkeys.

On stage: A lion being trained in a cage at the Niao Yu Lin Park in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province

Zoos and circuses that features s tunts involving animals are widely popular across China.

But campaigners have warned thousands of animals are routinely beaten and abused to make shows happen.

Charity workers claim bears are whipped and beaten with sticks, elephants are prodded with metal hooks, while tigers and lions are made to endure chronic pain by being defanged and declawed.

A report by Animal Asia Foundation said: 'The combined aspects of performances, abusive training methods and inadequate housing conditions are causing severe animal suffering for many thousands of performing animals across China.'

A monkey riding a bicycle (left) and a lion standing on its hind legs at the park where they are being trained ahead of China's Mid-autumn Festival and National Day

The park's 'entertainment' programs include bear rope skipping, dogs jumping through hoops, ball walking for lions and bike riding for monkeys

A report by the Animal Asia Foundation said thousands of animals are made to perform in Chinese zoos A dog going through hoops (left) and a monkey and goat balancing trick (right)

The Animal Asia Foundation said: 'The combined aspects of performances, abusive training methods and inadequate housing conditions are causing severe animal suffering for many thousands of performing animals across China.'



