The Lehe Ledu Wildlife Zoo in China’s Chongqing City has put a spin on the usual zoo visit experience – people pay to be locked in cages, while hungry lions and tigers roam free around them. The thrilling experience is meant to show visitors what it’s like to come face-to-face with predators, instead of just viewing them from a safe distance.
The zoo was opened in 2015 and since then not only the locals but thousands of tourists from other countries are visiting Zoo every month to experience wildlife in an open habitat.
In Lehe Ledu Wildlife Zoo, humans move through the park in a wire-meshed vehicle, offering food through a small gap at the top to lions, tigers, and even bears.
To make the experience more exciting, huge chunks of raw meat are tied to the bars of the cage on the outside, just to catch the attention of the beasts and draw them closer.
The zoo is one of a few in the world which has installed a moving cage to bring spectators as close as possible to big cats and bears in an open habitat.
“We wanted to give our visitors the thrill of being stalked and attacked by the big cats but with, of course, none of the risks. The guests are warned to keep their fingers and hands inside the cage at all times because a hungry tiger wouldn’t know the difference between them and breakfast.” A zoo official said.
