BEIJING: A zoo in southern China has been described as an animal hell by a visitor with one creature seen dead in a box by a reporter and a pond for a crocodile piled with rubbish.

The Haikou Golden Bull Ridge Zoo on Hainan island looked like the area had been abandoned on Tuesday, according to a report by Hinews.cn.

The only sign that the zoo was still operating was the sight of a few men playing poker at its gate, charging 30 yuan (RM18) for entrance.

The zoo has few visitors, many unused facilities and poor sanitation, the report said.

At the snake pavilion, only one animal was alive, but it did not move in its box.

Another had been dead for some time, with most boxes empty.

Many animals in the zoo appeared to be in distress and are in poor mental condition, with one bear constantly nodding.

“This zoo is absolutely the worst hell for animals,” one Chinese tourist wrote on social media.

The report said a manager at the zoo had told the local authorities that they didn’t clear the rubbish in the pond as the Nile crocodile kept there was too ferocious.

The manager was also quoted as saying that the snake’s lack of movement was because it was hibernating. She also denied suggestion that the animals were abused.

The authorities have ordered the zoo to close its snake and crocodiles enclosures for cleaning within two days and to improve overall sanitation, the report said. – South China Morning Post