Introduction:A café inside Xi’an Weiyang Lake Zoo once launched a “Pet the Lion Package” that allowed customers to have close-up interaction with a lion cub just over a month old for 10 minutes, priced from 268 yuan, which quickly became a popular internet-famous attraction. However, this program drew scrutiny over animal contact safety and conservation concerns, and was eventually halted by the wildlife protection station. This article details the incident, responses from various parties, and analyzes the potential risks and precautions associated with close interactions with wild animals.

Recently, the “Pet the Lion Package” offered by a café in Xi’an Weiyang Lake Zoo sparked widespread discussion. This unique experience allowed customers to enjoy their coffee while having a close encounter with a one-month-old lion cub for a minimum of 10 minutes per session, with each group experience starting at 268 yuan. The service quickly became a hit on social media platforms but also raised concerns among many about animal welfare and personal safety.

It is understood that this service was introduced during the Spring Festival period, where customers could enter a designated area to briefly interact with the cub under the supervision of professional keepers. In addition to the lion cub, the zoo also housed various other animals including parrots, snakes, lizards, and spiders, all of which offered interaction options for visitors. However,the most talked-about experience remained the close encounter with the lion cub..

Despite the high price, the lion petting experience still attracted many visitors, especially parents and young people eager to take photos with the adorable cub. However, many netizens questioned whether it was safe to be in such close proximity to a wild animal—even if it appeared tame—especially when children were involved, as the potential risks could not be ignored.

In response to public concerns, staff at Weiyang Lake Zoo confirmed to the media on February 10 that the experience was indeed a special Spring Festival event. They emphasized that all the lion cubs involved in the interaction were born to lions kept at the zoo and were still in the nursing stage, thus not aggressive. The staff further explained that the initiative came after many visitors expressed a desire to get up close to the cubs or even take photos with them. Therefore, the zoo designed this limited-time experience under the supervision of trained keepers.

Regarding the appropriateness of allowing young children to participate, the staff also cautioned thatif a child is only about seventy to eighty centimeters tall, their delicate skin might be accidentally scratched by the cub, so they do not recommend participating in the cub-holding interaction.As for other, larger and non-cub lions, the zoo enforces stricter interaction restrictions. Additionally, all animal contact sessions are accompanied by professionals throughout to ensure the safety of both visitors and animals.

Interestingly, some netizens pointed out that similar “pet the lion” experiences may have originated from a café in Bangkok, Thailand. According to shared accounts, visitors only needed to pay the equivalent of the price of a cup of coffee to have the opportunity to take photos and interact with lions, attracting a large number of tourists. It’s not hard to speculate that the zoo café in Xi’an may have drawn inspiration from such international examples.

However, it is worth noting that while zoo staff described the project as “limited to the Spring Festival period,” photos and post dates shared by multiple visitors show that the service may have been available as early as July or August of the previous year, indicating a discrepancy with the official statement. Moreover, in earlier interaction programs, besides the lion cubs, visitors could also get close to other animals such as Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs.

As the incident gained online exposure and sparked widespread discussion, the Xi’an Wildlife Protection Station promptly stepped in to investigate. After an on-site inspection, staff stated they found no obvious violations in how the zoo was raising the lion cubs, and overall animal care largely complied with relevant regulations. However, considering that wild animals inherently possess a certain level of aggressiveness,allowing visitors close contact still poses unnecessary risks.Therefore, it was decided to immediately suspend such interactive programs. Currently, the zoo and café have removed the “Pet the Lion Package” from all online platforms.

This incident has once again sparked public reflection on commercial interactive programs in zoos. While close encounters with animals can satisfy the curiosity and photo-taking desires of some visitors, how to strike a balance between entertainment, animal welfare, and public safety remains an important issue worthy of discussion. In the future, the public should also pay closer attention to official information and potential risks when participating in similar activities to make more informed choices.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.