Chinese Tourist Bitten by Lion at Phuket 'Lion Café'

A Chinese tourist was reportedly bitten by a lion at a popular lion café in Phuket, Thailand, raising concerns over the safety of close encounters with wild animals.

The tourist recently posted on social media Xiaohongshu that he was bitten on the arm while interacting with a lion at a lion-themed café in Phuket. The bite broke the skin slightly. According to his account, staff at the café treated the wound only with iodine and told him that the lions had been vaccinated, so there was no need to seek medical treatment.

The tourist told Xiaoxiang Morning Post on August 10 that he went to a hospital in Thailand and received a rabies vaccination immediately after the incident. He said he currently has no serious symptoms, although he developed a fever and arm pain after the shot.

Lion cafés have spread across Phuket, Chiang Mai and Bangkok, where visitors pay from a few hundred baht to more than 1,000 baht (about US$30) to hold cubs and pose for photos.

Thailand listed lions as a controlled and dangerous species in 2022, requiring owners to register and microchip the animals and notify authorities before moving them, but it set no breeding caps, few enclosure requirements and no rules covering lion-tiger hybrids. Cafés can display the animals without a zoo licence.

Nearly 500 captive lions are now registered nationwide, in zoos, breeding farms, cafés and private homes, according to AFP.

In March, a viral video of cubs in a glass enclosure at a café in Phuket Old Town prompted a public defence from the Department of National Parks, which said the animals were registered, microchipped and properly housed. It is not known whether that café is connected to the latest account, and Thai authorities have not commented on the reported bite.