In case you’re planning a family vacation and you happen not
to care about either animal rights or your children’s limbs, you should
totally go to the Lujan Zoo in Argentina, where visitors are allowed to feed, cuddle, or ride the backs of lions,
tigers, and bears.
“Even children are
allowed to enter the lion's cage and fondle a range of animals that have the
potential to kill or maim them,” reports the Daily Mail. Does that sound
thrilling or what? Here are some photographic examples of just how close Lujan
lets tourists get to deadly animals that appear to be inhumanely sedated (or at
least overfed and suicidally bored):
Here’s a photo of the zookeepers “monitoring” the uncaged
animals. I’d definitely trust these guys with my life—plus, I’ll bet they know
a great place to grab a few tequila shots after all this lion cuddling.
Despite Lujan’s assurance that the keepers love their animals and care about
their visitors’ safety, animal rights activists are not convinced. According to the CEO of Born Free Foundation, “Anyone who has any knowledge of big cats will
understand that they are wild animals and, as such, are unpredictable....I also note that
the zoo makes claims to educate and conserve. Well, if they think teaching
people that it's OK to stroke tigers and pet primates is educational, they are
just plain wrong.”
Who said anything
about educational? This zoo visit is all about bragging rights and Facebook
photos.
Photos: Fortuna and The Daily Mail
