Chinese zoo locked animals in cages to prevent escape as typhoon-related floodwaters rose

Guigang zoo locked up animals to stop escapes as floods hit Guangxi, one of China's worst-hit regions

A zoo in southwestern China locked ‌lions, bears and wolves in their cages as deadly flooding triggered by Typhoon Maysak swept through the region, a decision that the animal rights group PETA on Friday called "unconscionable."

Earlier this week, a zoo in the city of Guigang - one of the ​hardest-hit cities in the southwestern region of Guangxi - locked up animals to prevent them from escaping ​when flooding hit the city, Red Star News, a regional outlet, reported.

Three lions drowned ⁠and more than 100 animals went missing.

📌 Hengzhou, #China 🇨🇳 July 6 /2026
After days of heavy rain 🌧️ and flooding across China, around 900 snakes 🐍 escaped from a breeding farm in Hengzhou. Reports say the reptiles included venomous cobras, with villagers attempting to catch them in the floodwaters. pic.twitter.com/cTcgAZ4nZd

— CAUGHTIN4KHQ (@CaughtIn4KHQ) July 9, 2026

"We didn't want to create more trouble for the country when ​the floods came and let dangerous animals escape and hurt people," Red Star News cited the owner of ​the Guigang Zoo as saying.

Floodwaters at the zoo rose to more than 2 metres (6.6 feet).

More than 100 other animals, including a pair of zebras, three miniature ponies as well as ostriches, alpacas, raccoons and peacocks, were washed away, according to a ​notice that the zoo released on social media, seeking help to locate and recover the missing wildlife.

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At ​least one of the missing zebras has been found dead, state-backed Global Times later reported. The brown bears and wolves ‌that ⁠had been locked in their cages were in poor condition after nearly drowning in the flood, it said.

"The tragedy unfolding in Guangxi, China, should be a warning to every zoo and captive wildlife facility in the path of extreme weather," said Jason Baker, the Asia president of PETA, in a statement.

A pregnant zebra swept away by floodwaters in Guangxi was found wandering a nearby village. Torrential rains submerged Guigang Zoo, scattering all herbivores, drowning several big cats whose cages were locked "for public safety." pic.twitter.com/YI3GYyuLoC

— Shanghai Daily (@shanghaidaily) July 8, 2026

It is "unconscionable" to leave ​animals trapped behind bars ​as floodwaters rise, yet "simply ⁠releasing captive wild animals during a disaster is irresponsible and dangerous for both animals and people," Baker said, calling for evacuation plans and an end to keeping ​wild animals in zoos.

Reuters could not immediately reach the Guigang Zoo operators for ​comment.

In the ⁠neighbouring Guangxi city of Hengzhou, the flooding levelled a snake farm, unleashing hundreds of cobras, king ratsnakes and water snakes into the floodwaters.

A woman from Hengzhou died after being bitten by a snake, the state-backed Beijing News ⁠reported.

Typhoon Maysak ​killed at least 39 people this week in southern China, triggering ​extreme flooding that breached reservoirs and left entire towns flooded and severely damaged. The region is bracing for an even stronger typhoon, Bavi, ​which is expected to make landfall in southeast China on Saturday.