Eating near baby lions? That’s possible in China, where there is a restaurant that people are talking a lot about. Not because of its food or its decoration, but because of something very strange: it lets customers hug and play with baby lions while they are eating. This experience has gotten a lot of attention online and has generated many criticisms, especially from people and groups who care about animal welfare.
From now and then, we hear about restaurant news that has to do with their closures, but this Chinese restaurant is something unexpected… So, let’s get into more details about this restaurant with lions!
You can play with lions at this restaurant
The restaurant is called Wanhui and it is in the city of Taiyuan, in northeast China. It opened in June and sells around 20 tickets per day to offer a very particular experience. For about 150 dollars (1,078 yuan), customers can enjoy a four-course menu with tea, while being next to two baby lions, who are on the premises during the restaurant’s regular hours.
Besides the lions, on the restaurant’s page on Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok), you can see other animals like deer, llamas, and turtles, which visitors can also interact with. That means people can touch them and be near them while they eat.
What are people saying?
Several visitors have uploaded photos and videos to social media platforms like WeChat and Weibo, showing what it’s like to be so close to wild animals while having lunch or tea.
However, many of these posts have received criticism. Some people comment that this type of experience is only for rich people who want to show off. One user on Weibo said: “This is for rich people to play.” Another one asked authorities to look into what’s going on at that restaurant and do something about it.
What do experts say?
Several people who work in animal protection have also spoken about this topic. An expert from an organization called Humane World for Animals explained that using wild animals for photos or as part of an entertainment activity is a bad idea. He said this is not only very bad for the animals, but it can also be dangerous for people.
He warned that, even though lion cubs are small, they can still hurt someone if they get scared or feel threatened. That’s why treating wild animals as if they were decorations or simple attractions is, according to him, something irresponsible.
A representative from PETA, an organization that protects animals, also talked about this restaurant. He said that separating baby lions from their mothers so people can hug them while they are eating is not entertainment, it’s exploitation. He explained that animals are living beings that have feelings, not toys or decorations to post on social media.
Why has this caused so much controversy?
This restaurant has opened the debate on whether using wild animals to entertain people in public places is okay or not. There could be many opinions about this, but what is clear is that many people are against what the Wanhui restaurant is doing.
The restaurant stated that the lion cubs are well taken care of, but this is not the focus of the controversy. More and more people on social media and animal experts are talking about this and sharing their thoughts, and many believe that this kind of experience should be banned. Imagine how confusing that must be for these wild animals to be taken out of their natural habitats to be in a restaurant where people were constantly touching them. Do you think this restaurant should think about getting rid of this experience they offer?