Overview

• Wanhui restaurant offers a four-course afternoon tea for 1,078 yuan that includes cuddling lion cubs alongside encounters with llamas, deer and turtles.
• Viral images and videos on WeChat, Weibo and Douyin showing patrons cradling the cubs have provoked widespread criticism over both animal welfare and guest safety.
• Local media report that the venue’s permit allows purchase and display of two African lions but explicitly bars close human interaction with protected wildlife.
• The restaurant defends its service as a zoo-style exhibit, asking why lions cannot be incorporated into premium dining attractions.
• People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and Humane World for Animals condemn the experience as exploitative and dangerous, calling for stricter enforcement of exotic animal regulations.