Noisy dancers unwelcome in Shanghai zoo

Shanghai Zoo had to call in the police on Monday after some elderly residents smashed public sign boards on being asked to tone down their music while dancing.

Dancing is a popular morning and evening activity of the locals who treat it as an exercise.

Zoo officials said they had asked the dancers to obey the rules as the loud music disturbed the animals in the vicinity.

The locals, most of them in the 50 to 60 year group, dance in the area reserved for amphibians and reptiles from 7am to 9am.

Zoo staff had repeatedly told them their loud music was disturbing and affecting the animals.

"We asked them to dance 10 meters away from the cages but it didn’t seem to have any effect on them. Other visitors have also complained about the loud music. It affects the animals and disturbs their reproduction activity," said a zoo official surnamed Ye.

The dancers prefer the area as it was indoors and near the entrance gate. The area houses a Burmese python, Aldabra giant tortoise and Bengal monitor and other protected species.

Ye said winter is the time for hibernation and the noise affects them.

But a woman dancer told Shanghai Daily "the animals enjoy the music and watch us dance."

Ye said zoo officials had spoken to the dancers, asking them to find another spot but they refused to budge. “Instead, they asked us to find another place for them. We already have 17 or 18 dancing groups who come here every morning. There are others who come for exercises. There is not much space left,” Ye said.

Some visitors said dancing inside the zoo should be completely banned.

"Animals are affected and they also disturb visitors to the zoo as well," a resident Yu Guowei said of the dancers.

Some time ago the zoo had reached an agreement with the groups to keep them 10 meters away from the animals and reptiles but only few obeyed them. Ye said lack of regulations made it difficult to enforce the restrictions.

"Some of them have high blood pressure or other diseases, making it even more difficult for us," Ye said.

Even the police said given their age only persuasion was likely to work.

In July last year, a giant panda in the Nanjing Forest Hongshan Zoo reportedly suffered from irregular heartbeat because of noisy dancing in the square near the zoo.

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