More than 100 animals have escaped from a zoo amid dangerous weather.
The Guigang Zoo in China’s Guangxi province is calling on the public to help in the race to locate a bunch of missing creatures, including some which have been described as “potentially aggressive” which “may attack”.
“To ensure public safety and that of those animals, we implore the public to provide tips to assist in finding them,” the zoo said, as reported by the South China Morning Post.
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“Please keep a safe distance, as some animals, including ostriches and raccoons can attack in fear.”
Typhoon Maysak wreaked havoc across the south-western region of Guangxi, causing major floods, which led to the escape.
A statement from the zoo published by AFP said “continuous heavy rainfall” had damaged some enclosures.
Among the animals missing there are 30 peacocks, two zebras, and two ostriches.
It is understood that a pregnant zebra has been recovered.
The zoo told AFP they “could be dangerous” and that some “may be frightened and potentially aggressive”.
At least 39 people died due to the flooding caused by the storm in Guangxi, local officials told a news conference on Thursday, and nine people were missing.
More than 130,000 residents have been evacuated.
The zoo animals escaping follows news earlier this week of at least 900 snakes getting out of a breeding farm in Hengzhou.
While it was initially reported that the reptiles were not dangerous, The Guardian wrote that poisonous cobras are among the escapees, as well as water snakes and king rat snakes.
In wild footage shared on social media, residents can be seen using nets to try and catch snakes.
There have been several snakebite, including a woman who died from the bite, according to The Straits Times.
The remnants of Typhoon Maysak spawned at least two inland tornadoes and major flooding in China’s central Hubei province.
China and Taiwan are now bracing for possibly the most destructive storm in years as Typhoon Bavi churns south-east of Taiwan with winds near 200 kilometres per hour.
Bavi, about 1000km at its widest point or roughly the width of France, is forecast to skirt northern Taiwan before making landfall in China’s eastern Fujian province on Saturday evening, according to China’s National Meteorological Centre.
