An entertainment park has been under fire after using a live pig as a prop in order to promote their bungee jump.
The incident occurred in Fuling District, China, where animal lovers slammed an entertainment park called Mexin Village of Wine for throwing a tied-up pig off their bungee jump as a part of their publicity stunt.
After the footage went viral, outraged Chinese accused the entertainment park of animal cruelty with potential tourists vowing to boycott their business.
While the pig was not injured by the bungee jump, animal activists argued it was inhumane to tie the scared animal up and push it off the 220-foot-tall tower.
After a massive backlash and threats of a lawsuit against the company, Meixin Village of Wine apologized and admitted they “were careless.”
“We held the event to symbolize the passing of the year of the pig, and the coming of the year of the rat. The pig jumping from such a great height also symbolizes the falling price of pork,” the spokesperson said.
“We offer our sincere apologies to members of the public. After our inappropriate opening ceremony, we sent the pig to an abattoir.
“The pig was still the same as before it bungeed. For us, it was purely for entertainment, and we didn’t consider anything else. We were careless.
“Again, we’re very sorry. We won’t be doing anything similar ever again. What the public says is correct – and we humbly accept their criticism and recommendations.”
Realizing how the failed publicity stunt could cost the entire district dearly, the Fuling District Tourism Bureau appeared to have distanced themselves from the event saying:
“Scenic areas report all upcoming events to us when the activities reach a certain participant threshold. The event on 18 January did not meet the attendance threshold, so the scenic spot did not inform us beforehand. We contacted them after the incident came to our attention.”
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Replaced!