You can dress it up any which way you like, but using animals in a retail or entertainment setting is the equivalent of a zoo. It is the exploitation of animals for human enjoyment, often under the guise of conservation or animal protection.
My critique of the cat cafe in east London drew a huge number of responses, ranging from people who thought it was an unacceptable use of animals for profit through to those who branded me a cat-hating lunatic.
Now, almost a year on from that post, I find myself scratching my head at news of an owl-themed pop-up cocktail bar set to open in Soho.