This footage shows a black bear cub rollerblading at a zoo in China while wearing a red cape.

The unusual scene was filmed at the Nantong Forest Zoo in the city of Nantong, which is located in Jiangsu province, on China’s eastern coast, on 21st December.

Chinese media report that the Asian black bear cub (Thibetanus ussuricus), which is reportedly only just over a year old, has been rollerblading for over two months.

The black bear was reportedly pulled along by people at first before learning how to handle the bright blue rollerblades it can be seen wearing in the footage.

PETA Asia Senior Vice President Jason Baker told AsiaWire: “How vile! When you see animals performing confusing and stressful tricks, always know that they’re not doing it because they want to (like the owner of Nantong Forest Wildlife Zoo ridiculously claims), they’re doing it because they’re afraid not to – often subjected to electric shocks or beatings if they do not obey in training.

“A PETA Asia investigation into the entertainment industry in China revealed that bear cubs are chained or tethered to a wall and forced to remain upright, sometimes for hours, in order to train them to walk on their hind legs. If they can’t hold themselves up, they risk choking and hanging themselves.

“This treatment to bears happens all over the world. It won’t stop until the public refuses to be duped by such cruelty. The best way to fight this is to ensure that no one profits from abuse – by not visiting zoos or circuses that force animals to perform and by not watching or sharing any videos online that perpetuate cruelty to animals.”

It is currently unclear if the authorities are looking into the zoo for animal cruelty.