How Cruel! Animal Cafes Petitioned to Stop!

In recent years, animal-themed cafés have been springing up all over the world. Beyond cat and dog establishments, people have gradually introduced other animals such as mini pigs and mallard ducks as café attractions. Some have even brought in various wild animals, including meerkats, snowy eagles, raccoons, and owls.

Animal-themed cafés have become immensely popular among young consumers worldwide. Meanwhile, animal welfare organizations have expressed concerns that animal welfare policies in certain regions are inadequate. Without legal recourse, these organizations worry deeply about the physical and mental well-being of animals kept in these establishments.

The Origins and Psychology Behind Animal Cafés

The first animal-themed café opened in Osaka, Japan, in 2004. According to Kevin Short, a professor of cultural anthropology at Tokyo University of Information Sciences, interacting with animals in cafés can serve as a form of therapy for people coping with high-stress work environments: "They allow people to interact with animals and express feelings that might otherwise remain unexpressed, all without the subsequent responsibilities of pet ownership."

Following the first cat café's appearance, this trend rapidly spread globally. The variety of animal cafés has continued to expand, featuring not only traditional cats and dogs but also ferrets, hedgehogs, owls, rabbits, goats, and even reptiles (one might wonder: can reptiles truly be therapeutic?).

Animal Welfare Concerns

As animal cafés have proliferated and increased in number, not everyone views this development positively. Animal rights organizations argue that such activities may cause stress to animals and that they should remain in their natural habitats. These animals, particularly wild species, once lived freely in their natural environments but are now confined to cramped spaces, suffering from insufficient sleep and enduring the noise of customers daily. Both their physical and psychological health are affected to varying degrees.

Take cat-themed cafés as an example. Adult cats sleep an average of 12-14 hours daily, while kittens and senior cats may sleep up to 20 hours. Typically, cat cafés operate for 8-12 hours daily. From opening to closing, cats are subjected to varying degrees of disturbance by customers throughout different periods. Sleep deprivation also weakens their immune systems.

Some establishments even deprive cats of regular feeding to make them "crave" snacks from customers' hands. Although everyone disinfects their hands before entering, daily contact with numerous people easily transmits skin diseases to cats. Some cats become irritable due to chronic sleep deprivation and may harm customers.

The Dark Side of Owl Cafés

Another example is the recent trend of owl-themed cafés in countries like Japan, South Korea, and Thailand. While many regions prohibit keeping native wild owls, many illegally "imported" wild owls fall outside the protection laws of these areas. Consequently, many café owners have targeted foreign smuggling, with some even illegally hunting rare owl species for sale on the black market.

However! What appears to be adorable, soft owls are actually nocturnal creatures! Daytime should be their sleeping period, but they are tethered in cramped spaces, unable to sleep during the day or hunt at night. The ropes and wires restraining their freedom cause varying degrees of foot injuries due to the owls' fear and struggle. Yet customers remain unaware of this fact! Staff members appear caring and attentive, seeming to handle the owls with great care... The owls even appear to enjoy being petted...

But! They are wild animals! How could they possibly enjoy human contact? What you perceive as enjoyment is actually their fear and panic! Unlike other animals, for owls, what appears to be contentment is actually an intimidation display. When owls move slowly and narrow their eyes after being petted, they are actually terrified... You think they're smiling? In reality, their mouths naturally curve upward... Therefore, not all animals feel comfortable when gently touched! Some owls die from stress.

Animal welfare organizations in many regions do not consider animal cafés to be a good idea. Besides owls, many wild animals do not enjoy human contact, such as raccoons, hedgehogs, and meerkats.

Regulatory Responses and Consumer Responsibility

In Japan, where animal-themed cafés have proliferated, organizations have launched online petitions calling for the closure of all wildlife cafés, including those featuring owls, collecting over 100,000 signatures. Some netizens have expressed that these animals do not belong in cafés, arguing that this practice undoubtedly represents another form of animal abuse driven by human desires for entertainment.

Chihiro Okada, spokesperson for the Animal Rights Center in Japan, stated that the animal café industry lacks proper regulation in Japan. When animal welfare organizations or ordinary citizens report misconduct to authorities, officials can investigate cafés. However, due to inadequate animal welfare standards, no improvement occurs regardless of how dire the animals' circumstances become.

She mentioned that after multiple unsuccessful requests for official investigation, her organization directly negotiated with owl café owners, demanding that they provide owls with water at all times. Animal cafés are not natural habitats for wildlife, and their lifespans shorten as a result. They also experience extreme stress from human presence, noise, and continuous restriction of movement... However, there is currently no legal recourse to effect change.

On January 13th of this year, South Korea's Ministry of Environment announced a comprehensive ban on displaying wildlife outside of zoological facilities to protect animal welfare—a principle that applies to all animals including farm, laboratory, companion, working, entertainment, and wild animals. This prohibition includes privately operated businesses such as wildlife cafés, which have recently become popular in South Korea.

Beyond the problematic nature of the business operators themselves, shouldn't consumers also reflect on their own behavior? Without patronage, how could such a market exist?

Image source: Internet

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