A restaurant in Taiyuan, China, is facing backlash for offering a $150 four-course tea experience that includes hugging lion cubs. The Wanhui eatery, which opened last month in Shanxi province, sells about 20 tickets a day to customers eager for up-close encounters with the cubs. Photos and videos of diners cradling the young lions have surfaced on Chinese social media, prompting criticism from animal welfare groups and worried internet users, per Reuters. "The service has raised serious concerns," the state-run Shanghai Daily said on its WeChat page, per the Straits Times.
While the restaurant maintains that the cubs are under careful supervision by trained caretakers, reactions online have been largely negative, per Reuters. Critics argue that removing lion cubs from their mothers for this purpose puts both animals and humans at risk. "Tearing lion cubs from their mothers so diners can handle them over afternoon tea is exploitation, not entertainment," says a PETA VP. A policy expert with Humane World for Animals echoed those concerns, noting that even young lions can be unpredictable and cause injury.
The practice stands out even in a country where animal-themed experiences have drawn controversy before. In June, authorities investigated a hotel in Chongqing for letting red pandas wake guests—per the Independent, the creatures in that case were brought to patrons' rooms and permitted to climb up onto their beds. While dining near animal enclosures is common in some zoos worldwide, direct contact with wild animals in restaurants is unusual and, according to critics, problematic. Wanhui also advertises other animals, including llamas, turtles, and deer, but it's the lion cubs that have put the restaurant under the most scrutiny.
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