Animal rights advocates' protests arose after a Chinese zoo introduced a new attraction where two Asian elephants perform handstands and various "kung fu" feats for a paying audience.

The elephants from the Shenzen City in the south were first presented on May 21 where they execute such as handstands, crossing a single-plank bridge, and other martial art-like stunts.

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After paying 10 yuan or 1.6 US dollars as entrance fee and an additional 60 yuan for picture taking, tourists gather to see the gentle giants perform 20-minute shows five times a day in the Tianjin Zoo. They were also made to perform extra shows during the peak seasons, on weekends and holidays.

Protesters raised their concern about the zoo's breach of the ban for animal shows in China while an environment protection group, the Nature University, filed a complaint against it to the zoo management and the local government of Tianjin.

In an interview with the news agency, the Nature University's Hu Chunmei cited the result of her consultation with zoologists and veterinarians about the harmful physical and mental effects of performing stunts like handstands describing them as "unnatural" to the elephants.

Also, the show may present security risks to the audience as well since the elephants may go into a rampage due to the strain of performing under such stressful conditions, Hu added.

The environmentalist also pointed out that the zoo had not put necessary protective measures to ensure their patrons' safety.

Meanwhile, the Tianjin townscape planning authority, the entity in charge of managing the zoo, said that the show is purely a 'behavioral training demonstration' with a goal to advocate knowledge among the public and that trainers have not employed any kind of beating or abuse during the training process. They also clarified that the show is "not profit-driven."

Tagselephant kung fu, animal rights