Hundreds of workers at a state-owned wildlife park in south China’s Guangdong Province are on strike in protest at pay levels, leaving the animals unfed. When the park, affiliated to Shenzhen Tourism (Group) Corporation, tried to convert into a stock-holding enterprise last year, it began cutting overtime payments and withheld social security premiums for workers, while compensating more than 10 managers 100,000 yuan (12,500 US dollars) each before they left the park. Many of the workers have worked for the park for more than 10 years. They are extremely busy at weekends and holidays, but are only paid three yuan every extra hour. Many zoos in China are facing finical and management problems.According to the Chinese Society of Zoological Gardens, China had 173 public zoos in 1998, but many new safari parks have since emerged. And many zoos and parks have failed to improve their management to match up to their continuous expansion and renovation. As a result, only a few zoos and wildlife parks are able to attract steady tourist flows to sustain themselves, given limited government funding. Experts urge related government departments to play a responsible supervision role and recommend public donations as a way out of their financial crises. On the other hand, animals are given too little space and few schools have made zoos destinations for field studies, education goal zoos are supposed to serve.

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