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A luxury restaurant in China, offers afternoon tea with lion cubs, sparking outrage and calls for stronger animal welfare regulations.
Wanhui, which opened in June, features several animals as part of its attraction-driven dining experience.
A luxury restaurant in northern China’s Shanxi province is offering afternoon tea with lion cubs- stirring widespread outrage online and renewed calls for stronger animal welfare regulations. The Wanhui restaurant in Taiyuan city allows customers to cuddle lion cubs as part of a four-course afternoon tea set priced at 1,078 yuan (about $150), according to a report by the state-run Shanghai Daily.
Videos and images shared on Chinese social media platforms WeChat and Weibo show guests cradling the cubs like infants. Wanhui, which opened in June, features several animals as part of its attraction-driven dining experience, including llamas, turtles and deer. Its page on social media advertises the encounters as exclusive experiences for a limited number of guests and about 20 tickets are sold daily.
The offering has drawn strong criticism online, with many users expressing concern for the well-being of the animals and questioning the legality of the service. Shanghai Daily reported that the service “has raised serious concerns about legality and animal welfare” echoing sentiments across social media where commenters called the venture dangerous and exploitative.
“This is for the rich to play,” one Weibo user commented while another said, “Ordinary people can’t even afford to drink.” A third post demanded government intervention, “The relevant departments should take care of it.”
The controversy follows another animal welfare scandal last month involving a hotel in Chongqing which came under investigation after it was reported that the place offered a “wake-up service” using red pandas, allowing the animals to climb into beds and interact with sleeping guests.
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