Laws needed to offer protection

As a deputy to the National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, Hou Rong, director of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan province, made the suggestion during the annual session in March to regulate tourists to protect animals.

Sometimes people harm animals without noticing, she said. For example, bringing a pet to a zoo or reserve could spread disease, while food left in the wild or thrown into a zoo enclosure may sicken the animals. China has few regulations or laws to prohibit such behavior, she said.

Some zoo owners force animals to jump through hoops of fire, or feed live chickens to tigers to attract tourists, she said. Again, she said, animal abuse is not regulated.