China orders hotel to shut guest room that displayed a live TIGER behind reinforced glass
- China is forcing a hotel to close its room looking out on to a live white tiger
- Guests can sleep right beside the tiger separated by blast-proof glass
- But the Chinese government fears the glass is not soundproof enough to prevent guests from alarming the animal
A hotel with a room looking out on to an enclosed tiger in eastern China has been ordered by government officials to close off the view over fears for the animal’s welfare.
The white tiger, which can be seen from the hotel room roaming the grassy enclosure, is separated by glass from a room at the Sendi Tribe Treehouse Hotel in Nantong.
The hotel is connected to the Nantong Forest safari park, one of the large-scale zoos in the region with nearly 20,000 wild animals.
State media said tigers and other animals can be easily alarmed when so close to the glass, according to the Times.
The hotel offers a view into the tiger’s enclosure (pictured), but Chinese state media said the animal could be easily alarmed if the glass is not soundproof enough
While guests are protected from the tiger by blast-proof glass, The Beijing News said the design lacked consideration for the tiger.
The Chinese-government owned newspaper said there needed to be further evaluation on whether the design was soundproof enough to ensure the animal’s welfare.
One-way glass may reduce disturbances to the animals, added the news outlet.
The hotel already offers rooms with views looking out on to giraffes, lions and zebras.
Resident are set to celebrate Chinese New Year on February 1, ushering in 2022 as the year of the Tiger.
China National Radio suggested the hotel was using the Chinese Year of the Tiger as a marketing gimmick, promoting the tiger room ahead of the celebrations.
Another white tiger (pictured) licks a block of ice in the Nantong Forest safari park
Sendi Tribe Treehouse is not the first hotel to advertise a room with an exotic view.
Last year saw Harbin in northeastern China unveil the world’s first polar bear hotel.
Guests can view polar bears 24 hours a day through windows facing on to the bears’ enclosure.
‘These bears appear to have no fresh air, no space to roam, no privacy, no peace, no view and just artificial stimulation,’ said Simon Marsh, the acting director of UK-based animal welfare group Wild Welfare.
Zoos and other captive facilities should prioritize the individual needs of their animals, not the public, added Marsh in 2021 when the zoo opened.
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