Some troubling news about animal cafes

When I first moved to Japan more than a decade ago, one of the things at the top of my "must-do" list was visiting an animal cafe. The concept felt so whimsical and so different from anything I'd experienced back home. Sipping coffee while hanging out with a hedgehog or holding an owl seemed like a uniquely Japanese experience.

Over the years, my perspective has shifted a lot. While cat cafes and dog cafes generally feel harmless (especially some that focus on pet adoption, which is great!), the rise of cafes featuring exotic animals with everything from otters to chameleons has raised some more complicated questions. A recent survey by WWF Japan, conducted with Hokkaido University's Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, covered some of the reasons why.

Researchers visited 25 animal cafes in Tokyo and its surroundings and found some pretty troubling lapses in hygiene and welfare standards. Pathogenic E. coli turned up in four cafes, and salmonella in two. While almost all cafes provided hand sanitizer at the entrance, less than two-thirds of them asked guests to use it again when leaving, despite the obvious risks of handling animals. Only a handful offered clear explanations of infection control measures, and many failed to warn customers about the potential dangers of interacting with wild creatures.

Beyond hygiene, there's the matter of conservation. The survey noted that 31 species kept in cafes (such as the Asian small-clawed otter) are listed as threatened with extinction.

Part of me can still see the charm that draws tourists to animal cafes, especially people who are visiting Japan for the first time. In saying that, the article I linked above also gives me a bit of unease. If these cafes compromise both animal welfare and public health, maybe it's time to reconsider whether "spending time with an otter over coffee" should be on anyone's bucket list.

How do you feel about animal cafes, either from an animal welfare POV or a hygiene one? Are they legal in your home country?