A cruel zookeeper was seen slapping a lion in the face to make it pose with a tourist in the Philippines.

The handler was about to photograph the animal with a little girl, but the big cat seemed sleepy, resting on a concrete bench at Baluarte Zoo in Vigan City.

To get better shots, the man hit the lion on the nose to make it open its mouth. His colleague then kicked the lion's leg and raised its chin to keep it from appearing tired.

Footage shows the lion, named King by zoo staff, seemingly exhausted as caretakers casually hit the animal during a photo shoot on August 2.

Angry animal rights groups responded to the video, calling for the zoo to be closed. They said that lions like King are drugged with sedatives to make them drowsy so they do not attack visitors.

Animal Kingdom Foundation boss Attorney Heidi Caguiao said: ‘Wildlife selfies and photo opportunities are being stopped around the world because some lion cubs are being bottle-fed in those photo sessions with the lions.

‘That is not natural. We are exploiting this animal that we call wildlife.'

After the alleged mistreatment sparked concerns among locals, the zoo's owner, politician and businessman Chavit Singson said the worker was terminated.

He said: ‘He was fired. Mistreatment of animals is a mortal sin. He said he was only trying to wake the lion up. Lions are always sleepy because at night they are awake.'

In 2013, former governor Chavit Singson also sparked outrage among animal lovers when he posed for pictures with a dead lion and antelope, which he had hunted on an expedition in Africa's Kalahari Desert.