A Chinese theme park has sparked outrage online after it forced a pig to bungee jump off a 68-metre high tower to entertain guests.
Video footage shows the pig tied to a pole before it is carried to the top of a tower and pushed off.
The Meixin Red Wine Town theme park in Chongqing, southwestern China, said it did the stunt to mark the opening of the new bungee attraction, the BBC reported.
Organisers called the publicity event, which was held on January 18, the golden pig bungee jump.
The pig weighed about 75 kilograms and is seen with a purple cape tied around its shoulders. What sound like pig squeals can also be heard in the video.
Animal cruelty isn't punishable by law in China, and some people defended the situation online saying it wasn't any different to "killing a pig for food". But according to the BBC, the majority of users condemned the theme park's actions.
"Killing animals for consumption and treating them cruelly for entertainment are two different things," one person said. "There is no need to torture them like this."
Animal protection agency Peta called the stunt "animal cruelty at its worst", and told the BBC it should be a wake-up call for the Chinese government to change their animal protection laws.
"Pigs experience pain and fear in the same ways that we do, and this disgusting PR stunt should be illegal," Peta senior vice president of international campaigns Jason Baker said.
The theme park has released a statement since the event and said it accepted the criticism it received.
"We sincerely accept netizens' criticism and advice and apologise to the public," it said.
"We will improve [our] marketing of the tourist site, to provide tourists with better services."
The pig was reportedly sent to a slaughterhouse after the event.
