In January 2024, the public focused on Kunming Zoo’s long-running arrangement of keeping cats inside the Monkey Mountain enclosure. The zoo said it had introduced cats in 2013 as a biological rodent-control measure after other methods failed, and that two cats remained in the enclosure by 2024.

The issue was not a single identified offender, but whether a zoo should keep domestic cats and macaques together in a closed public exhibit. Public reports said online videos showed monkeys pulling the cats’ whiskers, tails or bodies. The zoo said no abuse had been found, while animal educators and welfare voices argued that cats and macaques were not suitable for long-term cohabitation.

On Jan. 26-27, staff from the China Small Animal Protection Association arrived at the zoo and helped with the capture effort. On the evening of Jan. 27, the two cats were removed from the enclosure. Later reports said an animal hospital affiliated with Yunnan Agricultural University found the cats healthy and without external injuries; they were then sent to Beijing for care by the protection group.

This archive records the case as an institutional-placement and animal-welfare controversy, not as a confirmed killing case. Its central lesson is that animals used for management goals still require continuing risk assessment, protection from cross-species stress, and timely response to public oversight.

Sources

• China Daily Hong Kong
• Sina republication of Observer Network
• Phoenix News video page