Kangaroo dies after bricks thrown at it in China zoo

A female kangaroo was killed by tourists who threw stones at it in a Chinese zoo. Photo / Getty Images

Visitors at a zoo in southern China have killed a kangaroo by throwing stones at it, local media reports.

A second kangaroo that was injured after having rocks thrown at it has since recovered, according to the Xinhua news agency.

The now-deceased 12-year-old female kangaroo died of a kidney tear two days after the incident took place, said a veterinarian at the zoo.

The vet suspected that the visitors to the zoo in Fuzhou City threw the rocks to make the kangaroos jump.

A man seen throwing the stones was confronted by a worker at the zoo, but he walked away after denying his involvement.

Since the end of February, there have been several similar incidents.

News of the incident has sparked outrage on social media.

"Is that still human? How awful," wrote one user on the Chinese microblogging service Weibo.

State newspaper People's Daily criticised the perpetrators' joy in killing animals and behaviour as "cold-blooded".​