Chinese hotel offering rooms looking directly into a tiger enclosure condemned as cruel

The rooms have been advertised as ‘beast rooms’

Maroosha Muzaffar
Friday 21 January 2022 16:19 GMT
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File photo of a tiger in China. Representational purpose only
File photo of a tiger in China. Representational purpose only (EPA)

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A Chinese hotel is offering suites for their guests that are right next to a tiger enclosure inside the Nantong Forest Safari Park in Jiangsu province.

Sendi Tribe Treehouse Hotel inside the park came under heavy criticism after it promoted these “beast rooms” that claim to give the guests a direct view of the tiger enclosures.

Windows in the hotel suites — there are four ‘beast rooms’ — will use explosion-proof glass to ensure the safety of the visitors.

A local news channel, Jimu News, shared video of one of the rooms and as soon as it was aired, there was a public outcry.

Many criticised the hotel for benefiting from the animals’ misery. And called it cruel.

An official from the culture and tourism bureau of Nantong city’s Chongchuan district — where the park is located, told the South China Morning Post that they would “re-evaluate the project.”

Online on Weibo, several commentators accused the hotel of “maltreating” the tigers. One user wrote: “What’s the point? To celebrate the Year of the Tiger? Is the glass sturdy enough? So you just don’t sleep and watch the tiger all night?”

Another wrote: “This is maltreating the tiger.”

The Nantong Forest Safari Park in Jiangsu province in eastern China, as a tourist attraction, already has a tiger-themed restaurant from where guests can look at tigers.

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