Pet Lion Wandering Phnom Penh Streets Ignites Animal Cruelty Debate
In June, Cambodian authorities seized a lion that was illegally kept as a pet by a Chinese national at a villa in the capital Phnom Penh. Recently, pictures and videos of the same pet lion wandering the streets of Phnom Penh have gone viral on social media, igniting the debate on animal cruelty.
Journalist Andrew MacGregor Marshall has published a series of tweets with photos of the animal. In his tweets, Marshall pointed out that this is the same lion that was taken by Cambodian authorities after TikTok recordings of the animal at a villa in the capital city.
Lion was returned to its owner after Cambodian Prime Minister ordered the animal’s return after the pet lion was seized by the authorities | Image: Reuters
After the 70-kg lion was apprehended and taken to a rescue center on June 27, Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered the animal’s return. Sen intervened following reported assurances from the owner that a proper enclosure would be built for the lion and consequently, it was returned to the owner.
People also raised their concerns for the animal’s safety and its well-being, when it was returned back to its owner to be put in a cage.
Disappointed that lion confiscated from city centre residence is being returned, undermining 🇰🇭 legislation preventing ownership/trade in endangered wildlife, harming global efforts to tackle Illegal Wildlife Trade, to say nothing of stress & suffering of inappropriate captivity
— Tina Redshaw 🇬🇧 (@tsredshaw) July 5, 2021
Marshall’s tweets brought up the issue of animal cruelty as he mentioned that the lion had been declawed and defanged.
A lion being kept as a pet in a house in Phnom Penh by wealthy Chinese businessman Qi Xiao has been wandering in the street outside, apparently unsupervised. How long will this madness and cruelty be allowed to continue? 1/4 pic.twitter.com/8MXiFPObMN
— Andrew MacGregor Marshall (@zenjournalist) August 16, 2021
Friend shot this video this morning. Is the lion loose in BKK1? #phnompenh #cambodia pic.twitter.com/mZWBjdR0XR
— Mike Gebremedhin (@Mgebremedhin) August 16, 2021
And this is why you don’t keep lions as a pet in the middle of the city, now exploring the streets of Phnom Penh #Cambodia (photo credit: unknown) pic.twitter.com/2HGr2iYmKE
— Stephen Higgins (@sjhiggins1973) August 16, 2021
Great job “building a proper enclosure to ensure the safety of people inside the home and the neighbors”… 🙄
This is indeed a good example of why you shouldn’t allow people to keep lions as pets in private residences in the middle of a city. #phnompenh https://t.co/vwJrkZFpHr
— ǝ̶ƃ̶ɐ̶ʇ̶o̶q̶ʎ̶x̶ (@xybotage) August 16, 2021
Friend shot this video this morning. Is the lion loose in BKK1? #phnompenh #cambodia pic.twitter.com/mZWBjdR0XR
— Mike Gebremedhin (@Mgebremedhin) August 16, 2021
Via: News 18
