A lion cub at a cafe in Chiang Mai scratched the face of a Chinese tourist, causing a wound. Relevant officials conducted an inspection and found the cafe had the required permits. The cafe explained the tourist violated rules; after the injury, the tourist was taken to hospital and compensated.
Reporters said that yesterday (2 Sep 2016), officials from the Wildlife Conservation Division of Protected Areas Regional Office 16 (Chiang Mai) visited a lion cub cafe in Chang Khlan Subdistrict, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai Province. This followed social media reports that a Chinese tourist was bitten on the face by a lion cub while taking photos with wild animals inside the cafe. The incident occurred on 28 August.
Inspection revealed that the lion cub had been moved to this location under authorization from Protected Areas Regional Office 2 (Sriracha). The owner had applied for temporary permission to change the place of possession of four controlled wild animals for 30 days, from 17 August to 16 September 2016, for exhibition and photography purposes.
Cafe staff told officials that the incident occurred on 28 August 2016 at about 13:20. At that time, four Chinese tourists were present. One male tourist entered to take photos with the lion cub after undergoing hand sanitizing, reading the rules, and receiving instructions from caretakers. However, he did not follow the cafe's rules; he touched and held the lion cub directly, then pressed his face close to the animal, causing the lion cub to suddenly turn and bite his face.
Cafe staff said the injury was not severe, consisting of two bite marks on the face. The caretaker cleaned and gave first aid to the tourist before taking him to Central Chiang Mai Memorial Hospital for wound treatment and tetanus and rabies vaccinations. The cafe refunded the full package fee and paid an additional 4,000 baht in compensation.
However, wildlife conservation officials found that the cafe failed to report the emergency to authorities within the required timeframe. As a result, the cafe received a written warning. Officials emphasized that if a similar incident occurs again, strict legal action will be taken. Additionally, they recommended enhanced control and monitoring of access to the controlled wild animal exhibition areas for the safety of tourists, the public, and animal welfare. Importantly, officials strongly prohibited tourists or outsiders from holding, grabbing, or directly touching lions or lion cubs to prevent harm and protect hygiene and animal welfare.