Chinese circus ties down tiger for visitors to sit on and have photos taken

The footage is believed to have been taken in Hunan province, southern China

Animal trainers have been caught on camera tying down an endangered Siberian tiger for visitors to sit on and have their photos taken.

The footage is believed to have been taken at a circus in Hunan province, southern China.

The video shows the tiger being aggressively tied by its body and legs to a metal table, before tourists take turns to sit on its back.

A bear can also be seen prowling around in a cage in the background.

It is unclear who recorded it, but the clip has racked up 88,000 views since it was posted on iqiyi.com, a Chinese video-sharing platform.

One child can be heard in the video crying: “I’m scared, I’m scared,” as his mother tries to put him on the animal.

A circus worker continues to encourage visitors to sit on the “cool” tiger.

“Perhaps this can keep you away from the devils and bring you wealth too," he adds.

One child can be heard in the video crying: “I’m scared, I’m scared" (iqiyi.com)

The tiger is shown having its straps untied before it darts back into its cage at the end of the video.

Elisa Allen, Director, PETA UK, told MailOnline: “No tiger would trade freedom for captivity, to be caged, dominated, tied down, whipped, and used as a prop for a tacky photo.”

“The only way to make these highly intelligent and powerful hunters pose for the camera is to keep them under constant threat of punishment, intimidate them, and restrain them.

“This tiger was bound and strapped so tightly that he couldn't even lift his head, while a caged bear paced around and around in the background, showing the psychological damage that's commonly seen in animals used in circuses.”

The Siberian tiger, also known as the Amur tiger, is officially endangered. Although numbers have increased since the 1980s, only about 540 are thought to be left in the wild.