Chinese hotel ordered to cease red panda wake-up call encounters

June 25 (UPI) -- A hotel in China was ordered to halt its offered red panda wake-up call service, which brought red pandas into guests' rooms and allowed them to climb onto the beds.

The Chongqing Forestry Bureau ordered the Lehe Ledu Liangjiang Holiday Hotel to cease all activities that bring visitors into close contact with wild animals.

The hotel had gone viral for its red panda wake-up calls, which gave guests, including young children, hands-on encounters with red pandas in their rooms.

Hotel officials said there are four red pandas living at the facility, and they would take turns making the visits to guest rooms. How long they spent with guests depended on the animal's mood temperament on the day.

Red pandas are second-class protected animals in China and they are listed as an endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.

Sun Quanhui, a scientist from the World Animal Protection organization, said the red panda wake-up call service could be considered animal abuse, as red pandas are sensitive animals with stress responses that could endanger themselves or the humans in their presence.