‘Exploitation, not entertainment’: offering dinner to lion cubs under fire in Chinese restaurants; PETA says that animals are not toys

A restaurant in northern China has expressed displeasure after giving customers a chance to chuddle the lion cubs, enjoying the afternoon tea. Animal welfare groups and social media user are banging the experience as exploitative and dangerous.Vanhui Restaurant is located in Taiyuan city of Shanxi province. This allows guests to handle young lions as part of the four-core tea sets, priced at 1,078 yuan ($ 150). Since opening in June, the site has been selling about 20 tickets daily for experience, including other animals such as lama, deer, and turtles. Videos and photos of customers who raise lion cub have gone viral on Chinese social media platforms like Vachat and Weibo.Advocates of animal rights have condemned the practice, warn of both moral and safety concerns. Reters of the news agency said, “To tear the lion cub with their mothers, so that those who eat on the afternoon teaBaker also criticized the tendency to use animals for viral materials, said, “Animals were considered more than social media props.”Peter Lee, a policy expert for China for Human World for Animals also raises concerns about the risks involved. “The exploitation of wild animals for selfie and marketing gimmick is not only bad animal welfare, it is also potentially risky for customers,” they were asked for Reuters. “Even a young lion is capable of taking out and injuring a human. Therefore, treating wild animals like a props is both morally unacceptable and dangerous both unacceptable.,Despite the backlash, the restaurant has defended itself, claiming that the cubs are in good health and professional care. A representative told the Reuters, “They were taken care of very well, with special carers,” a representative told the Reuters.The incident follows another controversial hospitality service in China last month, when the authorities started an investigation into a hotel in Chongking for their so-called “Wake-up service” using Red Pandas. Animals were allowed to climb guests, attracting similar criticism from animal rights groups.