Restaurant in China criticized for offering tea and lion cub hugs

A restaurant in the northern Chinese province of Shanxi offering hugs with lion cubs while diners have a four-course tea has been criticized by rights groups.

A restaurant in the northern Chinese province of Shanxi offering hugs with lion cubs while diners have a four-course tea has been criticized by animal welfare groups and drawn condemnation online, however the restaurant says the cubs are well cared for.

Some customers of Wanhui restaurant in Taiyuan city have posted pictures and video clips of themselves cradling lion cubs on China‘s WeChat and Weibo platforms.

Wanhui, which opened in June, sells about 20 tickets a day to customers looking to snuggle with the animals as part of a set menu costing 1,078 yuan ($150).

The restaurant told Reuters that it did have lion cubs at the restaurant and that they were taken care of very well, with specialized carers to tend to them.

While some zoos around the world, such as in Singapore or Australia, offer dining experiences near animal enclosures or views of the wildlife, it is rare for a restaurant to have direct physical interaction with wild animals.