Live animal performances are still common at zoos and parks nationwide despite a government ban to prevent cruel practices, a Beijing research team has discovered.

Findings of a new study by China Zoo Observation found that just nine of 21 venues volunteers visited in winter have ceased running the shows.

"The aim of the investigation was to disclose the situation with zoo management and the living conditions of animals behind the iron nets," said Mang Ping during a forum on Sunday. A professor from the Central Institute of Socialism, his research team of 10 college students covered zoos in nine provinces and cities.

The ban on live animal shows came shortly after the starvation deaths of 11 rare tigers and other animals at a Shenyang Wildlife Zoo in 2010, as well as the fatal poisoning of a panda in Jinan Zoo.

Central authorities also put a block on the trading and eating of wildlife, while zoos were prohibited from making a profit.

"Zoos lack long-term planning and many of them are in debt," said student Liu Xiaoyu at the Chinese Center for Diseases Control and Prevention, who was one of the volunteers. "Animal performances violate nature and cause great damage to the animals' physical and psychological health."

The country has more than 200 zoos, including 30 licensed and unlicensed wildlife parks, three times the number in United States and five times that of Japan.

Officials at the State Forestry Administration encouraged the industrialization of zoos and licensed many animal performances to boost revenues in the 1980s, with Beijing Zoo among the first. However, experts say the policy was flawed.

"The problems are most obvious in small and medium-sized zoos," said Liu Nonglin at the China Zoo Association. "The lives of animals are being affected by the lack of veterinarians, professional employees and poor management."

Congtai Zoo in Hebei province sold 10,000 tickets for its animal shows last year, earning 100,000 yuan. However, it costs roughly 50,000 yuan to feed one tiger for 12 months.

"Animal performances are against public interest, animal protection and educational interests, and should be prohibited," said Sun Xiaochun, a director at the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. "Any city found putting on animal performances will be removed from the list of national garden cities."

The ministry also carried out an investigation on zoos. The results will be disclosed when the report is finished, she added.