Monkey racer in recovery after bicycling bear beating

A bike-riding monkey that was attacked by its bear opponent during a bicycle race at the Shanghai Wild Animal Park will compete again, local media reported Wednesday.

The attack occurred Sunday after the two animals collided in the midst of the race. The monkey was leading the bear and their other simian competitor when it lost control of its tiny bicycle on the second lap and wiped out, leading to the collision that angered the bear, according to a video of the event posted on the streaming video website youku.com.

The video had been viewed more than 40,000 times by Wednesday afternoon.

The park's staff had to rush in to separate the monkey and the bear, the latter of which had been muzzled for the race.

The race was one of a series of events the park holds for its "Wild Animal Olympics," which it has held every other year since 2000, according to a park representative surnamed Pan. It was the first time such an accident occurred.

One of the park's animal trainers told Shanghai Television Station that this particular pair of monkeys had been working with the bear for many years.

Other events featured cheetahs competing in a 100-meter race and tigers competing in a long-jump.

Despite criticism from wildlife and animal rights groups, Pan defended the events, going as far as to say that it was beneficial to the participants.

"Healthy exercise can reduce the animals' morbidity and mortality rates," he told the Global Times.

In a previous report, the Animals Asia Foundation criticized the races, predicting the potential for safety problems. It also said practicing for such performances can exhaust the animals and leave them susceptible to mistreatment by trainers.

The foundation is an advocacy group focused on improving the welfare of animals in China and Vietnam.

The park does not plan to stop the event, but will implement emergency plans and install safety equipment to better protect the animals, according to a report on the news website xinmin.cn.