BEIJING: A special “wanted poster” with a reward as high as 100,000 yuan ($14,520) per hour was issued by Yancheng Safari Park in Jiangsu province on Saturday, seeking warriors to camp inside the safari park with white tigers aroused heated discussion online.
Many thought this was nothing but a marketing strategy on April Fool’s Day. “A classic gimmick of April Fool’s Day”, a netizen nicknamed Yu Zhu Mian Hua commented on micro-blogging platform Sina Weibo.
Others held the view this was risking people’s lives to catch people’s attention. “The takeout will be delivered directly into white tigers’ bellies”, a netizen nicknamed Hui Pao De Ka Fei Bei 1029 joked.
As for the discussion, a reporter with chengdu.cn asked the park how to ensure the safety of the tourists who camp with the tigers. A worker with the park said it can be challenging but not life-threatening.
However, “during the trial camp held on Saturday, it turned out the tigers were still feral and the tent was shredded into bits and pieces. The activity was called off by supervisory departments, so, no one gets the reward”, the worker added.
Covering an area of 1.34 square kilometers, Yancheng Safari Park is in Changzhou, Jiangsu province and is rated as a 5A scenic area. The park is home to over 200 different species of rare and endangered animals.
The white tiger event is part of the “Camping with animals” campaign launched earlier this year by Yanchen Safari Park in order to let the tourists make close contact with animals, the park told chengdu.cn.
On Sunday, Yancheng Safari Park announced it was regrettably notifying the public that the “camping with white tigers” event was suspended, and gentler animals will be chosen for similar activities in the future.
–The Daily Mail-Chian Daily news exchange item
