A zoo in Thailand has sparked outrage after forcing a chimpanzee to ride a bike when spraying a sanitizer for coronavirus.
Footage from the Samutprakarn Crocodile Farm and Zoo, in the suburbs of Bangkok, showed the chimp wearing a medical face mask, denim shorts, and an orange Hawaiian tee as he rides a children's bicycle with disinfectant tanks strapped to the back.
The video was described by campaigners as 'heartbreaking.'
The chimp, who is tied to a wooden block, can be seen pulling on a nappy about a minute into the video until a zoo worker hands the human clothing off.
The footage shows the chimp swerving around the zoo on a child's bike as sprays of disinfectant from the back tank.
A zoo worker jogs alongside the wobbling bike while keeping the chimp chained lead while they try to keep the balance.
The Zoo worker encourages the chimp to encourage his efforts at the end of the film.
PETA, the animal rights organization described the abuse as 'heartbreaking' and claimed that the zoo was a 'hell hole'.
Spokesman Nirali Shah said: 'Locations like Samutprakarn Crocodile Farm and Zoo are daily hellholes where animals like this chimpanzee endure miserable life in captivity.
'They're routinely mistreated and know little more than chains. When they're not used for human 'entertainment', they're held in cramped cages.'
'Two to three days a week, I disinfect the place in case the government allows us to reopen, and we are able to start welcoming tourists again.
'The chimp was trained on the farm as well so we just took him out to encourage him to stretch his limbs during this inactive period.'
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