Authorities have confiscated a lion in Cambodia that was illegally kept as a pet by a Chinese national at a villa in the capital Phnom Penh. After the animal was seen being cuddled and bathed in social media videos in April, the environment ministry decided to take action.
The confiscation came a day after a Twitter user shared an aerial shot of the lion roaming around a garden in the wealthy Boeung Keng Kang district. In an act of animal cruelty, the 18-month-old male, weighing 154 pounds, had been imported from overseas by the owner to be raised in his home.
Image: @pheaktraneth/Twitter
According to environment ministry spokesman Neth Pheaktra,
Cambodian authorities started investigating this lion since we saw it on TikTok in late April. People have no right to raise rare wildlife as pets.
Wildlife Alliance, an animal rescue non-government organization that helped with the raid – stated that the conditions of a private residence are not appropriate to raise a wild animal.
Moreover, the lion’s canine teeth have been removed, along with its claws, which drastically reduces the animal’s quality of life. If released into the wild, this poor creature will starve to death.
Image: @pheaktraneth/Twitter
The owner had shared a photo of the lion sitting in a driveway as a dog played next to it. There was also footage of the animal as a young cub being sprayed down with a hose.
Now, the animal has been moved to the Phnom Tamao Zoological Park and Wildlife Rescue Center on the outskirts of the capital city.
Via: The Guardian