A HOTEL in China uses endangered red pandas to wake up its guests, allowing the cuddly animals to crawl into their beds.
However, the Lehe Ledu Liangjiang Holiday Hotel, situated in the remote countryside near the southwestern city of Chongqing, has been rapped by the local forestry agency due to animal welfare concerns.
The hotel draws in the guests by advertising “red panda-themed holidays” where the loveable animals are allowed into rooms as a way of waking people up.
While the publicity has brought in the guests it has also attracted criticism.
Clips on social media show the endangered animals sitting on beds and interacting with the guests, who appear to be delighted to have them in their rooms.
The hotel has drawn the attention of local media with a Chinese magazine featuring the unusual hotel which triggered a discussion on social media about the ethical use of the animals.
In turn, the publicity drew the attention of the local forestry bureau who sent a team of inspectors round to investigate.
A statement issued by the bureau said it had ordered the immediate halt to all “close contact” activities with the red pandas and added it would report back on any further findings.
Brit YouTube stars Ben and Reanne Dridger, from Portsmouth, who update their fans with vlogs of their travels through China, loved their encounter with the red pandas when they visited the hotel in April.
Speaking to the camera, Ben said: “China is the only place in the world where you can have a panda delivered to your room to sit on your bed with you,” before the camera panned to Reanne who was seen hand feeding pieces of apple to the friendly animal.
Reanne then remarked: “That’s so cool,” as the red panda, one of four kept by the hotel, crawled across the bed and sniffed the camera.
Footage has also been posted by Chinese guests on the country’s popular social media site Douyin.
Hotel staff have said how long the creatures stay in a guest’s room “depended on the red panda’s mood that day,” according to a report by China Newsweek.
The Global Times, a communist party newspaper, though has put out a severe warning that the practice could be in breach of animal rights.
The hotel has responded to concerns over the treatment of the red pandas possibly being unhygienic or dangerous to children by saying the animals were all vaccinated and children had to be accompanied by an adult.
Red pandas are currently listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and estimates say there are less than 10,000 living in the wild.
Despite their name they are not closely related to the larger black and white giant pandas which live in the same region of China.
Red pandas are part of the extended raccoon family.
Before a ban was introduced in 2018, close contact with giant pandas, including photographs with cubs, was common practice.
The Liangjiang Hotel appears to have swerved prosecution due to the fact red pandas are not technically in the giant panda family.
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