Restaurant Scolded for Offering Cuddle with Lion Cubs on Its Menu
Social media users and local leaders are calling out a restaurant in China for allowing customers to play with lion cubs
Wanhui restaurant in Taiyuan city reportedly charges 1,078 yuan ($150) for the experience
One official said the animals were "treated like nothing more than social media props'A restaurant in China is facing international criticism after the option to play with live lion cubs was added to its menu.
Wanhui restaurant in Taiyuan city, located in the northern Chinese province of Shanxi, became popular after its June opening thanks to an unusual dining experience — a four-course tea where customers can cuddle with lion cubs for 1,078 yuan ($150).
They reportedly sell about 20 tickets a day for the experience, according to Reuters.
Footage of the unique tea was shared on China's WeChat and Weibo platforms, which are used for instant messaging and blogging.
On Wednesday, July 16, a spokesperson for Wanhui restaurant told Reuters that the lions are well taken care of, with a special staff that tends to them.
Additionally, the restaurant also offers llamas, turtles and deer for guests on its Douyin page, China's counterpart to the social media app TikTok.
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Other exotic animals such as alligators and meerkats are also advertised on Wanhui restaurant's Dazhong Dianping profile, which is a restaurant listings app, The Guardian reported.
Both news outlets noted that some zoos do offer dining experiences where customers can eat within eyeshot of animal enclosures, but that the option to play with the cubs has left many locals outraged.
'They're putting profit above consumer safety – it's way too dangerous,' one Weibo user reportedly wrote. Another added, "This is for the rich to play."
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In a statement to Reuters, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Senior Vice President Jason Baker said, "Tearing lion cubs from their mothers so diners can handle them over afternoon tea is exploitation, not entertainment. These animals are living, feeling beings, not toys."
Baker added that the animals were "treated like nothing more than social media props."
Peter Li, China policy expert for Humane World for Animals, also weighed in on the discussion.
"Exploiting wild animals for selfies and marketing gimmicks is not only appallingly bad animal welfare, it's also potentially risky for customers,' Li said.
He concluded, "Even a young lion is capable of lashing out and injuring a human. So, treating wild animals like props is both morally unacceptable and dangerously irresponsible."
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