Zhang's hometown, Yongqiao, was listed as China's first and only circus town by the central government in 2006. The town has a rich history of producing circus acts featuring animals since the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It is estimated that up to 80 percent of the circus artists in China hail from Yongqiao.

In an earlier interview with China Daily, Li Zhengliang, a Yongqiao native whose family owns a troupe, noted that all their circus animals are treated like one of their own.

"We have spent tens of thousands of yuan purchasing and raising them. We were counting on them for our livelihood. The last thing we would do is to hurt them," said Li.

Zhang argued that having animals in circus troupes is a more effective way of protecting them than leaving them in the wild where they might be killed by poachers.

"Chinese audiences still like to watch performances that have animals. The tradition in having such shows spans about 2,000 years," said Zhang, when asked if it is possible for a circus troupe to rely solely on acrobatics and human performances.

These days, circus troupes have no choice but to improvise in order to survive. Zhang said that some of the troupes actually dress their animals up in human costumes and have them walk on the stage for a few moments to grab the audience's attention. The majority of the performances is done by humans.

Zhu Lixin in Hefei contributed to this story.