Chinese hotel told ‘wake-up service' of red pandas climbing onto guest beds must stop
A Chinese hotel has been ordered to end its unusual wake-up call service that involves red pandas climbing onto guests' beds after concerns for safety and animal rights.
Lehe Ledu Liangjiang Holiday Hotel, a popular family resort in Chongqing, has been called on by the local forestry bureau to stop one of its most popular services. Many guests are attracted to the hotel solely for its red panda wake-up experience.
The service involves bringing one of the hotel's red pandas up to a guest's bedroom in the morning, allowing the panda to roam freely around the room and climb onto the bed.
Reviews online for the resort show guests checking in just so they can book the experience and get up close to cute, furry animals from the comfort of their hotel room.
One British couple, Reanne and Ben, who run the YouTube channel On Tour With Dridgers, documented their experience with the red pandas at Lehe Ledu Liangjiang Holiday Hotel in April.
The video shows the red panda first climbing a tree in the small courtyard between rooms before it roams through the corridor to the couple's room with a staff member, where it is given apple chunks and hops onto the bed.
The YouTubers stroke the panda while it eats the apple from the palm of their hands.
'Oh my gosh, I can't believe I've got a panda on my bed,' Reanne says.
Despite the popularity of the service, the Chongqing Forestry Bureau has reportedly asked the hotel to immediately cease all close contact activities between the pandas and visitors.
Staff at the hotel told China Newsweek that four red pandas are kept onsite and take turns participating in the wake-up call room visits.
A member of staff will lead them up to the guest rooms, and visitors are allowed to interact with them for a few minutes before the animal is led away again.
There have been concerns about injury or disease transmission voiced by people online, but the hotel said that the red pandas are borrowed from a zoo, have been vaccinated and a cared for by dedicated staff.
The hotel also said that young children should always be accompanied by an adult during the wake-up call session.
Sun Quanhui, a scientist from the World Animal Protection organisation, told the Global Times that red pandas are a nationally protected wild species and should not be kept as pets or for tourism-related entertainment.
He added that the pandas are naturally sensitive animals, and being forced to interact with guests could trigger a stress response.
The forest bureau has sent a team to the hotel to conduct an on-site investigation, and said it will release the results of this visit.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
I ditched the rat race in Australia and bought a home in Japan for just $6,000... I haven't looked back since
An Australian man sick of the unaffordable houses in the country has revealed how he managed to snag his dream property for just $6,000 in Japan. Matt Guy, 40, snapped up the two-storey home in the Myoko Kogen ski region, 267km northwest of Tokyo, in mid-2023. The home was built in the 1960s and previously belonged to an elderly couple who were eager for someone to take it off their hands. The property required several renovations, particularly to its bathroom, and Mr Guy has spent the last few years completing them. He's since dedicated his time to helping other Aussies drowning in the housing market to escape to more affordable areas. Mr Guy, an ex-tradie, first visited Japan in 2010 for six weeks - three of which he spent snowboarding. He returned in 2014 to enrol in a year-long language course and again in 2016 to work as an English teacher. Mr Guy made his love of Japan official in 2023 when he decided to permanently settle there. He and his Japanese wife live in their Myoko Kogen home and he works primarily as a content creator. Mr Guy's home is located near the ski slopes and has easy access to Tokyo via bullet train. 'My next-door neighbor is a sushi restaurant,' he told Business Insider. 'Two doors down, there's a soba restaurant. My local hospital is about 35 seconds walk away. The pharmacy is across the street from that. 'The post office is 15 seconds walk away.' As an extra bonus, the previous owners left several plants, pieces of furniture and kitchenware for him to keep. The house also boasts three bedrooms, several living spaces and a large garage. 'I came here without an intention to buy anything, but it just lined up that this house became available,' Mr Guy said. Japan has seen a boom in Australian tourism since the end of the Covid pandemic. Nearly a million Aussies visited Japan in 2024, marking a 50 per cent jump from 2023. Australian National University's Australia-Japan Research Centre director Dr Shiro Armstrong earlier this year explained Japan's low cost of living was likely a drawing card for many Aussies. 'You hear lots of Australian accents in Tokyo and many bars and restaurants are getting used to serving Australians,' he told the ABC. 'Eating out is very affordable compared to Australia because of the low wage costs - Japan has only recently escaped decades of mild deflation so prices have barely changed since 1990 - and the food, as everyone knows, is amazing. 'The tourist flows used to be dominated by Japanese visitors to Australia but with Japanese economic stagnation and the weak yen, we've seen a reversal since before Covid that's only becoming more pronounced.' As immigration into Australia under the Albanese government continues to soar, more Australians have been looking overseas to achieve their homeowner dreams. Jimmy Mitchell, 36, and wife Pauline, 35, previously told Daily Mail Australia they were willing to quit their 'stereotypical lifestyle' in Western Australia to travel around South East Asia with their two sons. 'In Australia we earned good money - this is the thing I couldn't get my head around. We had good jobs but we always felt like we weren't getting ahead,' Jimmy said. 'The more I worked and the harder I worked to earn the money so we could have the stuff, the less time I got to spend with my family.' In 2023, the couple were renting a four-bedroom house in Mandurah, an hour south of Perth, and working hard to save for a house deposit. The stress would sometimes reduce Jimmy to tears, and it was only getting 'progressively worse'. 'I'd come home and say to Pauline, 'I can't keep living like this anymore'. And that was a combination of the fact that we were both working in the business, the kids were at school and we had barely seen each other,' he said. The following year the family were able to travel through Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand and shared plans to visit Japan and Hawaii this year. They attribute their ability to explore to the comparatively low cost of living outside of Australia.
Daily Mail
18 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I was a high-flying banker before being robbed at gunpoint - now I'm a Buddhist nun trekking 400km across wild Bhutan
Emma Slade might have made one of the world's most unusual career jumps. The 58-year-old left behind a high-powered banking career to become ordained as a Buddhist nun in Bhutan. Emma's spiritual journey started when she travelled to Bhutan after being held at gunpoint and robbed in her hotel room while on a business trip in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 1997. The traumatic event left her struggling with PTSD. Although Emma did return to her job, she eventually chose to walk away from the financial world to search for a more fulfilling path. And a visit to Bhutan was to change her life forever. A meeting with spiritual leader Nima Thesering in 2011 put her on the path to studying Buddhism and Emma went on to become the first Western woman to be ordained as a Buddhist nun in Bhutan in 2014. The yoga teacher says that she 'felt at peace the moment' she arrived in Bhutan, describing her arrival there as an 'overwhelming spiritual homecoming'. 'I wanted to become a nun to contribute the best I could to this world and to try to be a kind person,' she reveals. While it might seem like a shocking transition, Emma reveals that her family took her decision in their stride. 'I've always been feisty, my family wouldn't be surprised if I became an astronaut one day!' And although Emma's new lifestyle looks very different to her routine as a banker, she's still very busy, explaining that her life as a nun is split in to two distinct parts. She spends half her time instructing students in Buddhism and yoga and half in solitude where she engages in prayer and meditation for up to 12 hours. Emma explains: 'People think solitary confinement is a prison sentence - I find it peaceful and relaxing. A time to think.' The yoga teacher also spends time working at the charity she founded, Opening Your Heart to Bhutan, which supports vulnerable and special-needs children in Bhutan. Emma is now set to take on an epic 400km walk across the whole of Bhutan to raise money for the charity, an idea that came to her 'while walking across London's Putney Bridge'. Set to take 37 days, the nun will tackle 12 mountain passes at altitudes of up to 4,000m, through terrain that's home to tigers, black bears, snow leopards and wild boars. Day four of the trek is particularly challenging and the point of the journey where many people tend to 'give up', explains Emma. 'I'm not a teenager any more but I am preparing by doing some walking,' she says. 'In terms of the wild animals, Ugyen who will be with me, has a special kind of shouting sound that is supposed to scare bears away. 'Other than that, I am just hoping that my mind will be calm when faced with difficulties.' But while Emma jokes that she'll probably 'never walk again after this', the nun says her epic adventure will all be worth it when she ends her journey in Samtse District, the location of her charity's school. 'So many children will be there at the end celebrating with me. That alone keeps me going.' To find out more about Emma's epic fundraising challenge, visit What to see in Bhutan 'Each district offers something unique and spiritually enriching', says Emma. Paro Taktsang (Tiger's Nest Monastery) A sacred Buddhist monastery, Paro Taktsang appears to cling to the cliffside of the upper Paro valley. It's an important pilgrimage site and often sits shrouded in clouds. Punakha Dzong This is one of Bhutan's oldest and largest fortified monasteries. In spring, the monastery is surrounded by colourful lilac jacaranda trees. Thimphu The capital of Bhutan, Thimph, has many famous Buddhist temples. Tourists can also visit the Folk Heritage Museum and the National Textile Museum. Bumthang Valley Sometimes known as Bhutan's 'beautiful field', Bumthang Valley is incredibly picturesque with rich paddies and several pretty villages. Lhuntse Home to several key pilgrimage sites, Lhuntse is one of Bhutan's most isolated regions. The region is famous for weaving with tourists able to see demonstrations. The people 'Bhutanese people are more quiet and reserved than British people. But once you start a meaningful conversation with them, you learn something new every time', says Emma.
BBC News
20 hours ago
- BBC News
The self-drive tuk-tuks transforming travel in Sri Lanka
A local startup is helping travellers experience Sri Lanka like a local – and changing lives in the process. I had pictured what my journey from the highlands of Ella to the Unesco city of Kandy would look like, but this was even better. The looping mountain roads stretched out before me as I drove through palm tree-lined valleys and past reservoirs so blue they looked as if they'd been photoshopped. Purple-faced langurs with their bushy white beards sat on the roadside and looked inquisitively at me, while elephants occasionally sauntered into the street. This was a road trip that couldn't be hurried. While I could have zipped along in a hire car, I knew this the journey would be far more fun trundling along in a self-drive tuk-tuk. For the last 50 years, tuk-tuks or three wheelers have become a typical sight in Sri Lanka. Motorised versions were imported into the country by the Indian Bajaj Auto Company in the late 1970s, and by the '90s they were ubiquitous. Now there are one million of them putt-putting along Sri Lanka's highways. Serving as family saloons and taxi cabs to police vehicles and three-wheeled bakeries, these workhorses have proven they're more functional than a Swiss army knife. Holidaymakers fell for the fearless vehicles too, but while they could catch a ride in the hardworking three wheelers, they were only allowed as passengers. Then in 2016, with the launch of Katunayake-based start-up TukTuk Rental, tourists were given the keys to an adventure they would never forget. You can now hire and drive a vehicle, choose your own route through the highlands or along the palm-fringed beaches and stop for a cup of milk tea when the mood takes you. But what makes this experience extra special is that this business, which marries social good with financial goals, leases its tuk-tuks from locals. Since it started, around Rs300,000,000 (US$1m) has gone into the pockets of 1,000 families in Sri Lanka. TukTuk Rental was the brain child of Thomas Cornish, an Australian civil engineer who was working for a non-profit in India. On the second day of a cycling holiday there, Cornish crashed his bike. A local offered up an old tuk-tuk so that he could complete the journey. Cornish found the ride so enjoyable, he wanted other travellers to have the same experience. Since the distances between Indian cities can be challenging, he and his cofounders Richard McKeon and Wietse Sennema looked for another country where tuk-tuks were popular. Finally, they decided to launch TukTuk Rental in Sri Lanka. Sennema, who grew up on the island, was aware that tuk-tuk driving was a second source of income for many people. "They'll have a daytime job, then in the evenings they drive the tuk-tuk," he said. The trio started knocking on doors to see if the tuk-tuk owners would rent their three-wheeler to holidaymakers and earn an income while they stayed at home with their families. Shalitha Sankalpa from Mount Lavinia was one such owner. He worked at a hotel during the day then would drive his tuk-tuk for up to six hours in the evening. "I would earn 200 rupees a day on average," says Sankalpa. He heard about the new startup and, in 2017, decided to offer his family tuk-tuk as one of their initial 10 vehicles. Within a month, his earnings had doubled. "When I told my friends, they said, 'It's a risk. Don't give your tuk-tuk to foreigners.' Now they are asking me, 'How can I rent my tuk-tuk?'," he said. Sankalpa was living with his wife, son and in-laws in a small, rented house, but with the steady income he was able to buy a car and build his own home. The social business has continued to give him dream moments, including when South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes hired Sankalpa's tuk-tuk to drive along the coast to Ahangama. "It was a super special day for me," says Sankalpa. Letting tourists loose on the roads was fraught with potential problems, but with the help of the Automobile Association of Ceylon, TukTuk Rental was able to make sure that holidaymakers were legally covered by providing them with a Sri Lankan driving licence. The team also hired driving instructors to give each tourist a lesson before they took to the road, and employed mechanics to maintain the vehicles. Within two years, a fleet of up to 100 tuk-tuks was being driven by holidaymakers on their adventures around the island. However, the next few years would prove to be anything but a smooth road. On 21 April 2019, the Easter Sunday bombings led to lockdowns across the island, then a year later the pandemic hit. Even when Sri Lanka's airports reopened, tourism recovery was slow. In the first four months of 2021, the country saw just 9,629 arrivals compared to 507,311 for the same period the previous year. Slowly the tourists started to return. TukTuk Rental now works with 750 families across the island who rent their tuk-tuks to holidaymakers. More like this:• The 300km route shining a spotlight on Sri Lanka's tea history• A 210km drive through 'the most beautiful place on Earth'• An epic road trip over and under the Atlantic Ocean Charith Rajindra first supplied TukTuk Rental with a three-wheeler in 2022. Before the pandemic, Rajindra worked at a garment factory worker during the day and then as a baggage handler at the airport in the evening. During Covid, his hours at the factory were cut and the airport was closed for 10 months. He then heard about the start-up that was renting locals tuk-tuks to tourists. After watching their progress, Rajindra took a gamble, leased a tuk-tuk and gave the $4,500 vehicle to the start-up. Within two years he was able to pay off the lease and open a home stay. He then bought a second tuk-tuk in 2024, which he also rents out through the start-up. Rajindra says he's delighted visitors get to experience a different side of Sri Lanka. "I'm very happy that the foreigner wants to drive a tuk-tuk. [It's a] normal person's vehicle. It's not a high-end vehicle," he says. Rajindra says he can also see the impact the start-up has made: "It brings income for the locals, for the country, and everyone involved." Diana Hiptmair, a content creator from Toronto, Canada, decided to hire a tuk-tuk in April 2025 after seeing a post on Instagram. "We're always looking for opportunities to step out of our comfort zone, and renting a tuk-tuk felt like the perfect way to travel at a slower pace, connect with locals and immerse ourselves in Sri Lankan culture," she says. She and her husband rented a convertible cabriolet tuk-tuk for 26 days and travelled from Negombo to the beach town of Mirissa. "Supporting a company that gives back was important to us," says Hiptmair. "And traveling by tuk-tuk allowed us to visit small restaurants and local businesses that many tourists might otherwise miss." One of her favourite memories was a spontaneous pitstop for lunch: "The owner invited Daniel into the kitchen to help make kottu roti," says Hiptmair. Kate Dicks from Hampshire in the UK was also a huge fan of the experience. She rented a self-drive tuk-tuk with her boyfriend for a 10-day road trip in January 2025. They wanted to visit the highlands and national parks. As taxis were few and far between in these rural areas and the bus connections didn't fit their schedule, a tuk-tuk provided the perfect solution. The tuk-tuk also helped give them the David Attenborough moment they wanted. "The most memorable part of our trip was when we saw wild elephants along the road we were driving on," says Dicks. "To see an elephant that close in its natural habitat was just amazing." While the numbers of holidaymakers hiring tuk-tuks are rapidly increasing, the social business limits the amount of tuk-tuks that each owner can give them so as many people as possible can participate in the programme. Supplier manager Isuru Fernando says they don't want to support another company, they want to support the individuals. After I finished my journey and handed over the keys, I watched the tuk-tuk reassuringly wobble off along the road to begin its return journey to the highlands. I had no doubt it would get there. This plucky vehicle seemed representative of a country that even when faced with the toughest of journeys still remains strong. -- For more Travel stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
