Local media reported that after the donkey was thrown in, the investors then tried to slide some sheep into the moat - but their plans were scuppered by zoo staff.

The investors involved in the cruel act acted because they had been "filled with anger for a long time" because they felt the safari park's management was "conspiring to cheat them out of their investments", according to reports.

A court case between the zoo and a company two years ago saw its assets frozen and its investment finances significantly reduced, while a chimpanzee and two giraffes died because they couldn't get permits to take them to a medical facility for treatment.

The zoo said in a statement that the shareholders were upset that they hadn't received dividends on their investment for such a long period of time, and because they were suspicious of zoo management.

Yangcheng Safari Park says it is "deeply sorry" for the incident, and said it was working on creating measures that would ensure something similar "would never happen again".

Newshub.