China’s Guangzhou Zoo Has come under fire after videos of a shockingly thin crocodile housed there went viral online.

Photos and videos of a crocodile so skinny that you can literally see its spine and count its ribs have been doing the rounds on Chinese social media and sparking a heated debate around the treatment of animals. Reportedly located at Guangzhou Zoo, the reptile looks more like a fossil than a living animal, but one clip shows it moving slowly in its enclosure. The person who shot the video and posted it online expressed concern for the crocodile and many have accused the zoo of animal cruelty for either starving it or just ignoring its condition.

In response to the public outcry regarding its skin-and-bones crocodile, the Guangzhou Zoo put out a statement explaining that the reptile had not been mistreated in any way and that its shocking figure was a consequence of gastroenteritis. Usually caused by bacteria or viruses, the condition is characterized by vomiting and diarrhea symptoms that caused its dramatic weightloss.

“He is currently receiving treatment and will be given extra care in the future,” a zoo spokesperson told Chinese journalists.

 

The zoo’s explanations did little to appease critics, as many declared themselves skeptical, while others asked for how long the zoo had left the crocodile’s gastroenteritis untreated