East Asia
A worker from the zoo told local reporters that the floor-to-ceiling windows in all rooms are bulletproof and blast-resistant.
The rooms at Hesheng Forest Zoo feature floor-to-ceiling windows and are designed to give visitors a close-up view of the tigers while maintaining safety. (Images: WeChat/濮阳娜娜虎奶妈)
22 Apr 2026 06:22PM (Updated: 22 Apr 2026 06:29PM)
QINYANG, Henan: Ever wanted to get up close and personal with tigers?
A wildlife park in China is offering curious visitors the chance to observe its big cats from specially designed “tiger-view” rooms.
For 168 yuan (US$24) a night, guests can watch rare Siberian, golden Bengal and white tigers from the comfort of their beds – separated only by “three layers of professional-grade glass”, according to Chinese media reports.
Located within the tiger enclosure at Hesheng Forest Zoo in central Henan province, the rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows and are designed to give visitors a close-up view of the animals while maintaining safety.
There are 30 tiger-viewing rooms in total and guests can typically see two to three tigers from each room, according to a park worker.
There are also “lion-view” rooms – though they are fewer in number, the worker shared.
“The room is right inside the zoo,” the worker told local news website Dahe Daily, adding that all “tiger-view rooms” were fully booked ahead of the May holidays.
CURIOSITY AND SAFETY CONCERNS
The project has sparked safety concerns and drawn widespread attention from Chinese netizens – some expressing curiosity and amusement.
“(Guests) would need to brace themselves when they draw the curtains in the morning – the sight of a tiger staring at you with its gaping jaws and bared teeth is rather terrifying,” wrote a user named Luffy on the Sina Weibo microblogging platform.
“After being locked up in the zoo for years, the tigers can finally see humans in glass enclosures too,” said another Weibo user.
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Videos and media reports of these “tiger-view” rooms have also gone viral on Chinese social sites, drawing thousands of shares and views.
Local tourism authorities said the “tiger-view” rooms have passed local inspections and met strict safety standards.
The zoo worker said that rooms are fitted with double-layered bulletproof windows made of blast-resistant glass. Even bullets “cannot get through”, the worker said.
There are also electric wires which will shock the animals if they come into too close contact with the windows. “So there’s no need to worry about them getting too close,” the worker said.
A professor from the Northeast Forestry University’s School of Wildlife and Protected Areas in Harbin told The Beijing News site he did not believe that the tiger-viewing rooms would have “negative effects on the tigers”.
If the tigers’ living space has not been reduced and the barriers are safe, the “tiger-view” rooms should not harm the animals, said Zhang Minghai, also director of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration Feline Research Center.
He also suggested that revenue generated could go towards improving welfare conditions of the facility’s big cats.