Cambodia authorities confiscate illegally kept 'pet lion' from Chinese owners

Cambodian authorities on Sunday confiscated an 18-month-old male defanged and declawed pet lion that made an appearance on the TikTok videos shot at a Phnom Penh villa. The underfed lion weighing just 70 kilograms [154 pounds] was imported from overseas by a Chinese national, in violation of the law in Cambodia that prohibits petting exotic animals or wildlife breeds at home.

“Ministry of Environment calls on citizens to take care of and preserve wildlife and not try to catch wild animals, which is an illegal activity,” Camobida’s minister of environment wrote in a post on Sunday, sharing the photos of the lion’s rescue. It further warned that the wild animals must be “ left alive in nature to increase breedings”

Secretary-General of Phnom Penh along with the first Ambassador launched a rescue mission with the Phnom Penh coalition authorities, along with NGO Wildlife Alliance to confiscate the male lion from a high-end district of the most populous city of Phnom Penh. A joint operation involved the Cambodian Forestry Administration, participation of the Deputy Prosecutor of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, the Police, the Military Police, and the NGO Wildlife Alliance who safely captured the lion in an enclosure and moved it to a rescue center.

[Credit: NGO Wildlife Alliance]

[Credit: NGO Wildlife Alliance]

The wild cat was first spotted in a TikTok video uploaded by a Chinese man who had held the carnivore in captivity at his Boeung Keng Kang residence. At the time the animal was rescued by the Cambodian authorities, it had its canines plucked out, and its claws were clipped. He was found with a black collar around his neck. The Chinese man was seen bathing the lion in footages accessed by the Cambodian police, as well as a separate video showed the lion seated next to a pet dog. Footages also depicted the man cuddling the wild species.  

[Credit: NGO Wildlife Alliance]

[Credit: NGO Wildlife Alliance]

Probe was ordered

A probe was ordered into the matter in the month of April. It was found that the Chinese nationals smuggled the lion into the country illegally from abroad. The lion was ultimately rescued on Sunday and transported to the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre where it will be housed in a wilderness-like enclosure and will be provided with professional care. Animal rescue NGO Wildlife Alliance wrote in a release that such bodily modifications as made by the Chinese man can “dramatically reduce wild cats’ quality of life.” 

Cambodian police and the Forestry Administration warned the Chinese owners that it was illegal to pet lions as per the country’s laws. Director of Phnom Penh Forestry Cantonment, Koam Seiha, said that the Chinese owners “have been called in by the authorities to stop raising such wildlife.” It, however, remains unclear if the authorities have taken legal action against the owners.