Chinese restaurant causes controversy for offering lion cub hugging service

VHO - A restaurant in Shanxi province, China is facing criticism after offering a service for customers to hold a lion cub while enjoying afternoon tea.

A customer at Wanhui restaurant holds a lion cub. Photo: Xiaohongshu

In videos and photos circulating on social media platforms Weibo, Douyin and WeChat, guests at the Wanhui restaurant in Taiyuan city were seen cuddling the lion cubs like babies, taking photos and playing with them.

This service is included in the four-course menu that costs nearly 1,100 yuan (about 4 million VND).

In addition to lion cubs, the restaurant also keeps llamas, turtles, deer and other wildlife on site, as part of the dining experience.

The restaurant opened in June and limited sales to about 20 tickets a day for customers who wanted an “interactive experience with animals” along with a set meal. However, this business model quickly faced a wave of fierce opposition.

“The service has raised serious concerns about its legality and animal welfare,” the Shanghai Daily wrote on its official WeChat.

Reactions on social media showed that most users felt outraged and worried about the animals' health and psychology.

“This is no different from turning wild animals into toys for the rich,” one Weibo user commented. Another called for the government to intervene: “The authorities should investigate and severely punish this behavior.”

The incident comes not long after a similar, controversial case: a hotel in Chongqing was investigated for offering a “red panda wake-up call” service.

According to Chinese media, this hotel has allowed animals to climb onto beds to wake guests, raising serious concerns about animal safety and ethics.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/du-lich/nha-hang-trung-quoc-gay-tranh-cai-vi-cung-cap-dich-vu-om-su-tu-con-153157.html