(WWLP) — It had a Pink Panther feel to it. A black panther sneaking up on a guy ready to pounce, when all of a sudden, instead of mauling the man, the man smothered the panther with kisses.
No wonder this went viral. Eduardo Serio is the founder of an animal sanctuary in Mexico called “Black Jaguar White Tiger,” and he’s built a following posting videos.
Mainly of himself interacting with his big cats, including the littlest big cats. Papa Bear, as Eduardo calls himself, is famous for his hugs.
Is all of that cuteness too cute to be true? The sanctuary has both fans and fierce critics. Celebrity fans like Khloe Kardashian are allowed to get up close and personal with the cats, and though nothing did happen, critics say it could.
“This celebrity studded Instagram petting zoo is..” Like a disaster waiting to happen?” Kellie Heckman, head of Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, said, “It’s not safe to handle big cats and what it does is portray the idea these big cats are tractable or handle-able.”
It’s also not clear precisely where Eduardo rescues his animals from. He says circuses and breeders. CNN was unable to reach Papa Bear. He was probably out running with his pack. Confident that they won’t bite the hand that pets them.CNN contributed to this report.