Zoo worker beats a badger to death in front of horrified visitors

Zoo worker beats a badger to death before dragging its body along the ground in front of horrified visitors

  • Shocking incident was witnessed by tourists at Dalian Forest Zoo in China
  • Footage shows one man carrying, throwing and dragging a lifeless badger 
  • The zoo said the badger was ‘ferocious’ and not one of its captive animals
  • But management admitted misconduct and said the staff had been penalised 

A zoo worker in China has been accused of animal cruelty after allegedly beating a badger to death and dragging its body along the ground.

The incident was witnessed by horrified visitors who filmed the worker’s behaviour before uploading the clip onto social media.

Zoo management claimed the badger was ‘ferocious’ and not one of its captive animals. The member of staff has been penalised, according to a statement.

A zoo in China has caused controversy after one of its workers was caught killing a badger

The worker is said to have beaten the animal to death and dragged its body on the ground

The worker is said to have beaten the animal to death and dragged its body on the ground 

Badgers can be found in various  and are known for their ability to dig holes in the ground

Badgers can be found around the world and are known for their ability to dig holes (file photo)

The worker was caught attacking the animal in Dalian Forest Zoo on August 15.

Footage shows one man, who was wearing a blue T-shirt, carrying what appears to be a dead badger out of the bush before throwing the animal onto the ground.

It appears that he was working with two colleagues, who were dressed in the same uniform. 

The worker then picked up the lifeless badger and dragged it along the ground.

The three men are said to be gardeners who are employed by the zoo through an agency.

The man was working with two colleagues at the time and the incident was filmed by visitors

The man was working with two colleagues at the time and the incident was filmed by visitors

Footage shows the worker throwing the lifeless animal onto the ground after beating it

Footage shows the worker throwing the lifeless animal onto the ground after beating it

The video sparked an outrage on Chinese social media and web users urged the zoo to investigate the matter.

Dalian Forest Zoo described the badger as ‘ferocious’.

It said the animal had appeared in the bush on a slope in the zoo a few days earlier and posed a serious threat to tourists.

In a statement posted on Tuesday on Twitter-like Weibo, the zoo said the workers had decided to catch the badger in order to prevent it from harming visitors.

It also said that the workers had decided to hit the badger after being assaulted and injured by the mammal.

The incident took place in Dalian Forest Zoo, which is famous for giant panda Fei Yun (pictured)

The incident took place in Dalian Forest Zoo, which is famous for giant panda Fei Yun (pictured)

The zoo admitted that the workers had not dealt with the incident properly.

‘We feel heart-broken and ashamed of it,’ the statement said.

The men have been educated by the zoo and punished by their agency, the zoo added.

Identified by white-and-black stripes on their faces as well as their grey fur, badgers can be found around the world and are known for their ability to dig holes into the ground.

They are nocturnal animals and mainly feed on worms and insects.

Badgers are not listed as a protected wild animal species in China.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk