A row has broken out in Kazakhstan over a show in a zoo that featured a young boy locked in a cage with raccoons. Prosecutors pulled the plug on the entertainment after the 11-year-old spent three days behind bars with the South American monkeys.

Police have accused the organisers of violating the child’s rights – a view not shared by the young boy, who loved spending time with the animals.

For three days, Danila spent eight hours a day at a zoo in Karaganda city locked up with a bunch of coatis – a type of raccoon from Latin America.

It was part of a two-week long experiment called ‘Humans and Animals’, aimed at ‘eliminating stereotypes and borders between wildlife and humanity’. The organiser’s said its goal was to teach people to love animals.

But local officials and a government children’s agency had a different view. They’ve spoken to his mother Yuliana and the show’s organizers, pointing out the dangers of caging a youngster with wild animals.  They’ve also barred the lad from taking any further part in the show.

Danila was puzzled by the ban, saying raccoons were not dangerous and that his mom was with him all the time. Yuliana said the boy always loved animals and liked playing with raccoons in the cage.

The performance has resumed, with one of the organisers taking the boy’s place.