Unethical But Cute: Shanghai’s First Piglet Cafe
There’s a new addition to Shanghai’s famed animal cafes: the ‘The Piglet Cafe’, a coffee shop home to 12 adorable piglets. It opened recently in Baoshan district and people are queuing to get in. We went around for a look and waited for about half an hour before getting our hands on these cute little hogs. * For 98rmb (including a free drink) we got to hang out with these tiny snufflers for an hour in a room above the coffee shop. When taking our shoes off to change into the pig-head-shaped slippers provided, we noticed one solitary piglet inside a cubicle; the rest of them were all empty. What’s he doing here alone? ‘He’s been grounded’, an employee told us, ‘for being a bad boy’. Turned out he had peed on one of the cushions for the customers. What a bad boy! But…wasn’t he just being a pig? An employee was on hand to keep everything in order and hand out cooked cabbage to customers. In front of us was a large, cosy space with clean floors, big windows, soft cushions, and 12 piglets zooming around in piggish zeal. Some were just sniffing around, some looking for treats, some nuzzling up for a little sleep on someone’s lap. Cuteness overload. A half-open, wooden tunnel connects the indoors to a long outdoor trough where the piglets are fed rice twice a day, 10am for breakfast and 7pm for dinner, on top of what seems like an unlimited supply of boiled cabbage. The café has been really popular since its opening, despite being at the far end of the city. At least 20 customers come on weekdays and up to 200 on weekends and holidays. But only 18 people are allowed in the pig room at once, and no one under 15 is allowed, ostensibly to protect the piglets. The oldest piglet is two-year old Hot Pot, originally the boss’s own pet. The youngest is only two months old. We were told that they are a specific breed who grow up to 15-20 years old but won’t get much bigger than this. Do they really stay this little forever? According to Society for the Prevention of Cruelty for Animals International (SPCA), what are known as micro-pigs are often baby pot-bellied pigs that can grow up to 150 pounds. Others are inbred to be smaller, leading to ‘genetic disorders, short life spans and a host of health problems.’ And are they supposed to be kept as indoor pets? What will happen to them if the teacup pigs outgrow themselves? Who will care for them when they’re no longer tiny enough to be playthings for the middle class? And what effect does it have on the pigs to be constantly stimulated, constantly fed, and constantly the center of attention? We asked the staff; they didn’t have any clear answers. Ultimately, the ethics of this, and many other animal cafes, may be questionable. Is this really in the best interest of the animals? How high is their welfare prioritized when the owner can see so much profit in allowing them to interact with dozens of people a day? And yet. They are just so damn cute. The Piglet Cafe is located in Baoshan, at Zhihuiwan Kechuangyuan Bldg 57, 6 Wenchuan Lu, near Lianyi Lu / 蕰川路6号智慧湾科创园57号楼. 近联谊路. It's open from 10am-9pm. |
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