This restaurant in China lets you cuddle with baby lion, accused of exploitation

A Chinese restaurant, Wanhui Tower in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, is drawing serious criticism for offering a luxury afternoon tea experience including cuddling with lioncubs, along with alpacas, deer, turtles, and more. All for around 1,078 yuan (~$150/£124) per person. The restaurant profile on Dazhong Dianping, a popular restaurant listing app, shows a picture of lion cubs alongside other animals, such as deer and alligators. Several picture shows customers snuggling with baby lions.

The restaurant sells limited tickets, only 20 per day. It also holds a license to breed and display two African lions, but close human-animal contact is prohibited under local regulations. An investigation has been launched by authorities following criticism by animal welfare groups like PETA and Humane World for Animals. They called the practice unethical, exploitative and dangerous for both the baby animal and their patrons.

There were mixed reviews in the Dazhong Dianping application. One woman's review reads, “I can pet a cute little lion in a small shop! 🦁 It’s called Simba and looks so good. There are staff to guide you, so you don’t have to worry about safety issues!”

While another one posted a negative review,“They’re putting profit above consumer safety – it’s way too dangerous,”

Peter Li, a China Policy expert for animals, told Reuters,"Exploiting wild animals for selfies and marketing gimmicks is not only appallingly bad animal welfare, it’s also potentially risky for customers.” According to Reuters, the restaurant authorities said that the lion cubs are cared for well by special staff.