We ain’t lion.
A restaurant is being slammed for offering guests the chance to snuggle with lion cubs as part of a $150 four-course meal.
Wanhui restaurant in Northern China is being criticized by animal welfare advocates for its unique but unsafe attraction.
The eatery in Taiyuan city, in the province of Shanxi, opened in June and quickly became popular because of the outrageous offering.
The team sells 20 tickets to the multi-course tea a day, according to Reuters.
A screenshot of the menu going viral on social media shows a listing for a four-course set afternoon menu that includes playtime with the in-house animals.
Wanhui also advertises other animals such as llamas, turtles and deer on its social media page.
It is unclear how customers are offered to engage with them, although several photos show customers snuggling a baby lion — but most people don’t seem ready to sit down with an animal.
The restaurant told Reuters that it does not keep the lion clubs on the property, but with specialized carers at an undisclosed location.
The majority of those who have commented on the posts are opposed to the odd option.
Official animal welfare groups have also since spoken out against the offering.
Senior Vice President of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Jason Barker told Reuters, “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.”
He added that in this case, the young animals are “treated like nothing more than social media props.”
And this isn’t just harmful to the animals; it could be dangerous for the customers as well.
“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,” Peter Li, China policy expert for Humane World for Animals, warned.
An investigation is reportedly underway.
This scandal comes just after a hotel in China was condemned by local wildlife officials for using endangered red pandas during wake-up calls for guests.
The Lehe Ledu Liangjiang Holiday Hotel, located in the mountains near Chongqing, offered boarders the option of a “red panda-themed holiday,” which included bringing the endangered species into guests’ rooms for wake-up calls, The Times of London reported.
For the morning meet-ups, the adorable, furry critters would be ushered into plush hotel rooms to interact with guests who shelled out for the special treatment.
The unique experience went largely unnoticed by wildlife officials in the Communist country — until a British tourist and YouTuber couple went viral with a video of pandas from Lehe Ledu.
The publicity drew the attention of local forestry officials who could barely believe their eyes.
In a statement, Chongqing Forestry Bureau ordered the hotel to immediately halt all “close contact” between animals and guests and threatened to prosecute the hoteliers for any further infractions, the outlet reported.
“Close contact” activities have been banned in China since 2018 as the practice was a customary form of income, The Times of London reported.
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