NANNING, CHINA — A tortoise at a Chinese zoo was mostly likely an unwilling participant after photos emerged of a basket glued to its shell for visitors to chuck coins at.
Pictures shared over Twitter knockoff Weibo from Nanning Zoo located in Guangxi province show the African spurred tortoise with a basket and a Chinese flag sticking out of it.
The photos were taken on October 1—the PRC's National Day—when China was giving itself an enormous pat on the back. Guess that explains the cheap flag.
Zoos and playgrounds have become popular destinations for families and their kids over the National Day holiday.
And what better way to take advantage of that than by enlisting the help of the lightning-quick tortoise.
One post by user Tea-tia accused the zoo of trying to trick visitors out of cash and urged the relevant authorities to investigate the incident.
He also claimed the tortoise was being kept in a "very bad environment" with no zookeepers around.
Zoo officials have said they were investigating the matter and have yet to release a statement.
The zoo is most likely having trouble getting anything out of the tortoise. It's notoriously difficult to get them to crack during interrogation.