Starving Lion Forced to Chew Off Own Tail After It Got Stuck in Frozen Water

A lion inside the Taiyuan Zoo in Shanxi Province, China, caught the attention of visiting tourists due to its severed tail.

Concerned visitors, who noticed the lion’s condition during the Lunar New Year holidays, demanded an explanation from the zoo’s management.

According to a representative of the zoo, the poor lion was forced to bite its own tail off after it got stuck in an artificial watering hole that turned to ice due to the freezing temperatures.

The spokesman claimed the lion “bit it off” because the tail was already bleeding and suffering from tissue damage. He added that the lion was immediately treated after they discovered the injury.

Visitors also noticed that the animal, along with its companion lioness, looked quite undernourished. The zoo, however, had no explanation as to why the two lions looked underfed.

Video footage of the lion soon emerged on local social media platform Weibo, sparking discussion among netizens, MailOnline reports.

Besides the severed tail and malnourished physique, many noticed that both animals were also pacing back and forth.

Such behavior is commonly observed among zoo animals to cope with the stress of captivity. They are exhibiting frustration because their hunting and territorial instincts have been denied.