Xinyang Xin County indoor zoo animal neglect incident

In late January and early February 2025, a controversy arose regarding the care of animals at 小象动悟公园, an indoor petting zoo located in 居然之家城市广场, Xin County, Xinyang City, Henan Province, China. The incident sparked an official response and widespread public debate during the Lunar New Year holiday. The store owner denied the allegations, but the zoo is now believed to be closed.

Xin County indoor zoo animal neglect incident
The photo taken by Ms. Liu on January 31 shows feces piled up on the floor inside the store.
Key Details
Location	Xin County, Xinyang
Species Involved	Multiple Species, including alpaca, cats, ducks, hamsters, parrots, pigs, rabbits
Type of Abuse	Neglect
Timeline
Date of Incident	January, 2025
Date Discovered	January 21, 2025
Date Closed	—
Status & Outcome
Case Status	Believed to be closed
Perpetrator	Gao Wen Chao
Aftermath	The indoor zoo is possibly no longer in operation, though some comments to the indoor zoo's Douyin account's videos showed conflicting information.

Indoor zoo owner
—
Name	Gao Wen Chao (高文超)
Age	—
Occupation	Indoor Zoo Owner
Known Identifiers	Phone on record
Status	—
Involvement	Was/Is the owner of the indoor zoo that showed signs of animal neglect; threatened to sue (likely people who undermined his business).
Punitive Measure	According to Baidu Map, the indoor zoo is no longer in operation.

Background

According to a promotional video posted on Douyin by @醉美新县(id:TangTang861868) on January 18, 2024, "新县居然之家小象动悟园" was scheduled to open on January 20 and feature "over 100 animal species of land, sea, and air". It was located at 居然之家城市广场 and was operated as a franchise under the company 郑州市宠社商贸有限公司, which reportedly manages over 200 such locations across China.

Incident

The photo taken by Ms. Liu on January 21.

The controversy began on January 31, 2025, when a local resident, identified as Ms. Liu (刘女士), posted a video online. She had previously visited on January 21 and noticed that the store was dark and locked with two cats inside. When she called a staff member at that time, she was reportedly told, "I don't want to take care of (the cats) anymore."

Screenshot from a video showing the body of a deceased pet pig.

Returning on January 31, Ms. Liu found the storefront still tightly locked. Inside, she saw animal feces on the floor, a deceased pet pig, and an alpaca chewing on a plastic bag, among other animals such as rabbits. Suspecting that the staff had left for the Lunar New Year holiday without arranging for proper animal care, she published the video condemning the store's actions.

Response and Investigation

Ms. Liu's video quickly went viral, prompting responses from the store owner, local authorities, and the parent franchise company.

Gao Wen Chao (高文超)

According to Douyin account @正在新闻(id:52990572879), the store's owner, identified as Gao Wen Chao (高文超), responded on February 7, claiming the online rumors were false. He stated that he had only returned to his hometown for a day and a half for the New Year and that friends were helping with feeding the animals. He also told other media that he had only been gone for two days and that the animals were regularly fed. He reported receiving significant online harassment following the incident.

Official Response

After the video circulated, local community officials (居委会) and law enforcement intervened. Officials stated that, despite the store being closed for the holiday, staff were visiting every morning and afternoon to feed the animals. They attributed the pig's death to the cold weather. It was also reported that law enforcement officers found the store's licenses to be in order and that no protected animal species were present on the premises.

Franchise Company's Response

Staff cleaning the premises, photo provided by interviewee of 红星新闻.

The parent company, 郑州市宠社商贸有限公司, confirmed that after being notified of the incident, they dispatched staff to the location to ensure daily animal feeding and cleaning were being carried out.

Aftermath

Following the official intervention, staff were seen cleaning and disinfecting the premises. However, the zoo's business status remained uncertain. As of February 11, mapping services like Gaode Maps listed the location as "suspected closed." Staff at the shopping mall's customer service center confirmed that the store was being cleaned but could not confirm if it had resumed business. The zoo's official Douyin account has not been updated since June 8, 2024.

Additional information

• 
  Screenshot of a Douyin video showing a cat inside the dimly lit indoor zoo.
• 
  The latest video of the indoor zoo's Douyin account was uploaded on June 8, 2024.
• 
  The indoor zoo owner's Douyin account
• 
  The indoor zoo owner's arguments with possibly Ms. Liu
• 
  Additional arguments between the two
• 
  Likely Ms. Liu's follow-up response regarding the matter
• 
  Comment from a Douyin user in February, 2025
• 
  Information on zhipin.com related to the indoor zoo
• 
  Information on Baidu map related to the indoor zoo