June 25 (UPI) – A Chinese hotel was ordered to stop its Red Panda wake-up call service, which brought the Red Pandas into the guest’s room and allowed them to climb onto the bed.
Chongqing Forestry Bureau ordered Lehe Ledu Liangjiang to stop all activities that put tourists in close contact with wildlife.
The hotel is all the rage for its red panda wake-up calls, which include toddlers, who meet the red panda in their hands in the room.
Hotel officials said the facility has four red pandas and they will take turns visiting the guest rooms. How long they spend with the guests depends on the mood and temperament of the animals that day.
Red pandas are second-class protected animals in China and are classified as endangered species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Sun Quanhui, a scientist at the World Animal Conservation Organization, said the red panda wake-up call service could be considered animal cruelty because red pandas are sensitive animals and their stress responses could endanger themselves or humans present.
