This video shows a two-month-old tiger cub being forced to pose for pictures with zoo visitors.
The video was filmed by a witness in the Biopark zoo in southern Ukrainian resort city of Odessa who said she was determined to publicise what was going on.
The clip shows a family that is the latest in line to pose with the clearly unhappy little tiger cub, who is attempting to get free and crying the whole time.
The exhausted tiger cub is being held by a man in a white T-shirt with a woman that appears to be his wife, with their two children.
One of the children – a boy with blond hair, can be seen petting the animal. The tiger is clearly distressed at this, but that does not stop the boy, who continues petting it, doing his best to make it roar even louder until his mother intervenes.
The family have apparently handed the camera to the keeper and paid the required fee and he continues to take pictures despite criticism from the woman filming.
The camerawoman identified as Katerina Solovyova can be heard saying in the background: “It [the tiger cub] does not like this!”
But the zoo visitors who have paid for the snap completely ignore her and after collecting the camera, walk off to make way for the next family.
However Ms Solovyova continues commenting on what is happening. She says that the tiger cub is kept by the photographer under the hot sun without any food for the whole day. Local media also reported that the cub was in the sun the whole day.
Ms Solovyova posted the video on her social media profile asking people not to be indifferent to the animal’s fate.
She says: “This poor two-month-old tiger cub was taken from its mother and forced to pose for snaps with visitors. I watched for what was going on for four hours. All this time, the animal was kept under the sun without any food. Once every fifteen minutes some zoo visitors come, pet it and force it to pose for a picture with them. Every time this is a huge stress for the animal.”
It is unclear if the allegations are being investigated and whether the zoo has responded to them.
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