Visitors were still paying 20 yuan to hug Lele and have their photos taken yesterday despite a ban that forbids any such sontact with a wild animal. The ban was introduced more than a week ago. "The city zoo broke the law and should be prohibited," said an official at the State Forestry Administration. The administration notice last Monday clearly bans contact with wild or captive animals, the abuse of wild or captive animals for performance purposes and any improper business related to wild animal products. "Close contact with the chimp is the only bit that breaks the ban and we will end that soon," said Beijing Zoo spokeswoman Ye Minxia yesterday. "The chimpanzee performance can't stopped overnight as we have a contract with a company scheduled to terminate at the end of this year," she said. "The zoo is negotiating with the company in the hope of terminating it sooner," Ye said. She refused to answer directly whether the chimp photo sessions were still ongoing yesterday, instead, saying. "It's very likely we will cancel it tomorrow." Zoo staff confirmed photos were taken yesterday, one employee saying 2-year-old Lele "works" form 10am to 3pm daily, according to the Leagl Mirror. Such activities not only damage the mental and physical health of the animals, but also risk the safety of visitors, according to the official website of the State Forestry Administration where the notice was released. "A pet male chimpanzee bit and attacked 55-year-old Chala Nash, causing serious injuries to her face, neck and hands at her friend's home in Stamfor, Connecticut on February 16th last year," CNN reported. The friend, Sandra Herold, called the police, who shot 14-year-old Travis many times after he also attacked an officer." "Putting a blue T-shirt on a wild animal and training it to bare its teeth and parade for visitors might not enhance that already-troubled image of Chinese animal protection," the State Forestry official warned. "Some zoos even hit animals and promote themselves with commercials involving animal abuse, " he said. "Too much focus on the profits too often results in improper treatment of animals, contributing to their early and unnatural deaths," the notice stated. What do we learn about Lele?
It's used to make money. It is hit by the people. It attacked its owners. It died unnaturally.