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.
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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.
