大连大妈动物园内薅骆驼毛

A short video circulating in Chinese social media of an old woman pulling fur off a camel in Dalian Forest Zoo in northeast China's Liaoning Province  has ignited debate about animal rights in the country’s zoos.

In the video, recorded on Tuesday, the woman can be seen nimbly yanking off the fur and putting it in her purse. Even though other visitors tried to stop her, she insisted. 

Her behavior has drawn plenty of quizzical comments from the public. On Sina Weibo, one of China’s largest social media platforms, user sophiameilidenvshen asked, “Grandma, what are you doing??”

“Is she worried that the camel might feel too hot?” Dadadadayali1 wondered.

Madahaxiao said, “Is she insane? What can she use camel fur for?”

HuaxingyuDOR meanwhile joked that “She may use the fur to make a quilt in preparation for winter.”

Others worried about whether the camel felt any pain at losing its hair.

The zoo responded on Wednesday, saying that despite the fact that camels are calm animals that rarely attack humans, it still posts signs around the enclosures urging visitors not to touch them.

The statement condemned the woman’s behavior but said her actions would not have affected the camel’s health because it was in the process of naturally shedding its fur for summer anyway.

The zoo reassured the public that the camel is “healthy and in a stable mental condition.”

At the same time, Dalian Forest Zoo called for the public to be more aware of animal protection, and promised to increase patrols to prevent such incidents from happening again.