A tourist sparked outrage after a video was shared of them appearing to throw a plastic bag into the mouth of a hippo while visiting a wildlife sanctuary.
The clip shows a silver car pull up next to a watering hole where a hippo is enjoying a dip.
A tourist is then seen hanging out the car window dangling a carrot before tossing it in the animal’s mouth.
At the same time, what looks like a clear plastic bag is thrown into the hippo’s mouth as it appears to hesitantly close its mouth before trying to chew.
The incident took place at the Taman Safari park in Bogor, Indonesia, last month, with the wildlife sanctuary condemning the incident.
“This incident cannot be tolerated,” it said in a statement.
“Officers who were at the location immediately removed the plastic object from the hippo’s mouth, according to the rules and procedures at Taman Safari Indonesia.”
The park has reportedly located the license plate of the tourist’s vehicle and have demanded they make a public apology.
The clip has since gone viral with more than 2 million views sparking major outrage including from those in the local community.
“He should be punished by throwing trash into his mouth,” one furious person wrote on Instagram.
“I hope that person and the hippo meet again some day. Hopefully in an environment more favourable to the hippo,” another wrote, while a third hopes the tourist is caught arrested.”
“That could kill the hippo!!” they wrote.
One person demanded disrespectful tourists “should be banned from every safari park and not allowed near any animals”.
“Seems deliberate. Give the license plate to the lions,” one furious person added, while another described the act as “sickening.”
The tourist allegedly also poked a deer with a carrot while on the safari tour.
The hippo was examined and is reportedly in healthy condition following the incident.
“The Life and Science team together with the Animal Care team checked the condition of the hippo and that the hippo was in good condition,” the statement from the park read.
“Taman Safari is committed to protecting and caring for and developing wild animals in conservation institutions [and] will not tolerate events or things that are not in accordance to the regulations.”
