A restaurant in northern China has sparked outrage after providing prospects the possibility to cuddle lion cubs whereas having fun with afternoon tea. Animal welfare teams and social media customers are slamming the expertise as exploitative and harmful.The Wanhui restaurant is located in Taiyuan Metropolis in Shanxi province. It permits friends to deal with the younger lions as a part of a four-course tea set, priced at 1,078 yuan ($150). Since opening in June, the venue has been promoting round 20 tickets each day for the expertise, which additionally options different animals comparable to llamas, deer, and turtles. Movies and images of shoppers cradling the lion cubs have gone viral on Chinese language social media platforms like WeChat and Weibo.Animal rights advocates have condemned the observe, warning of each moral and security issues. “Tearing lion cubs from their moms so diners can deal with them over afternoon tea is exploitation, not leisure. These animals reside, feeling beings, not toys,” Jason Baker, Senior vp at Folks for the Moral Remedy of Animals (PETA), informed information company Reuters.Baker additionally criticised the development of utilizing animals for viral content material, including, “The animals have been handled like nothing greater than social media props.”Peter Li, a coverage professional on China for Humane World for Animals, additionally raised issues concerning the dangers concerned. “Exploiting wild animals for selfies and advertising and marketing gimmicks is just not solely appallingly unhealthy animal welfare, it is also doubtlessly dangerous for purchasers,” he was quoted as saying to Reuters. “Even a younger lion is able to lashing out and injuring a human. So, treating wild animals like props is each morally unacceptable and dangerously irresponsible.”Regardless of the backlash, the restaurant has defended itself, claiming the cubs are in good well being and below skilled care. “They have been taken care of very properly, with specialised carers to are likely to them,” a consultant informed Reuters.This incident follows one other controversial hospitality service in China final month, when authorities launched an investigation right into a lodge in Chongqing for its so-called “wake-up service” utilizing crimson pandas. The animals have been allowed to climb onto friends’ beds to evoke them within the mornings, drawing comparable criticism from animal rights teams.
