Hangzhou Safari Park in East China's Zhejiang Province issues a statement on December 7, 2025, announcing the immediate cancellation of the black bear behavior show. Photo: Screenshot from the park's official account

Hangzhou Safari Park in East China's Zhejiang Province announced on Sunday that it would immediately cancel its black bear show after a sudden attack on a keeper sparked an online debate over whether animal performances should be banned, according to a statement released on the park's official Sina Weibo account.

The statement said that at 3:50 pm on December 6, a black bear attempted to seize food from a keeper during the show. Although neither the keeper nor the animal was injured, the zoo acknowledged that inadequate on-site management had caused a negative experience for visitors, and offered a sincere apology.

In the statement, Hangzhou Safari Park said it attaches great importance to the incident and has decided to immediately cancel the black bear behavior show. The zoo said it will calm and monitor the animal involved to ensure its physical and mental well-being, and will conduct a thorough review to implement improvements to its management and emergency-response capabilities. "We sincerely appreciate the concern and support from all netizens," said the park.

According to earlier media reports, a black bear suddenly attacked a keeper after finishing a round of performance at Hangzhou Safari Park on Saturday. Other staff immediately intervened and used props to separate the bear from the keeper. This incident has sparked online debate about whether animal performances should be banned.

Multiple social media users posted videos of the incident recorded during the bears' show. The footage shows audience members watching as two keepers guided two black bears onto the stage for another round of performance. One bear successfully performed, while the other, nearing the stage, suddenly pounced on its keeper, knocking the keeper to the ground. The fallen keeper struggled to escape while nearby staff grabbed chairs and poles to separate the animal from the keeper. After the bear was pulled away, it lunged at the keeper again, and staff had to use force to separate them.

The official social media account of the park also posted a notice on Saturday, stating that neither the keeper nor the bear was injured.

Some users expressed sympathy for the bear. User "A Wild Horse" stated, "Wild animals still have their wild nature... Animal performances should not be the focus of a wildlife park." Some users also compared this incident with practices at other zoos in China. Netizen "Su Wan Yu" praised Hongshan Forest Zoo in Nanjing, saying, "The management there is really great; animal performances and paid feeding have been eliminated. Humans are visitors, and animals are the real masters."


Global Times