Observers are referring to the incident as an example of animal cruelty

Jan 12, 2013 09:34 GMT  ·  By

As previously reported, lions at a zoo in China are being hit with snowballs, for visitors' amusement purposes.

The big question here is whether or not this registers as animal cruelty, since the animals cannot defend themselves in a situation such as this one.

The incident occurred at Hangzhou Zoo lion exhibit, where someone snapped shots and posted online. The animals felt restless, at first the female circling the den, and then trying to hide out.

Below, you can see more photos of tourists treating the lion's enclosure like a targeting range, as relayed by China Smack.

“I suggest making them go in and have a snowball fight with the lions!” one user commented.

“If the lions weren’t locked in a cage, would the visitors still dare to attack them?” another user added.

If you agree, leave your opinion in the comment section below.

Visitors at Hangzhou Zoo hit lions with snowballs (4 Images)

A lion is hit with a snowball at Hangzhou Zoo, in China
Visitors at Hangzhou Zoo line up to target the lionsLions try to hid from visitors throwing snowballs at them
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