A pet lion that was seized by authorities last week in Cambodia has been returned to its owner, after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen personally intervened in the situation.

What led to the animal's seizure?

The 18-month-old cub, whose name is Hima, is owned by a Chinese national. It weighs 70 kilograms (154 pounds) and was trafficked into Cambodia from abroad.

The lion had been both declawed and defanged. 

The lion had been seen playing in TikTok videos at an upscale villa in Phnom Penh, the country's capital. Neighbors were alarmed by the videos, which led authorities to confiscate the creature in a rescue raid on June 27.

Authorities justified the raid by saying it was illegal to keep lions as pets in Cambodia. The animal's owner said he was not mistreating the lion.

Other social media users rally for lion's return

After the animal was taken away, a video of the owner affectionately feeding the lion went viral. Social media users then called on the lion to be given back to the owner, whose name is Qi Xiao. 

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Facebook on Sunday that the lion would be returned to Qi on the condition he "build it a proper cage to ensure the safety of the people in the house and neighbors."

Qi thanked the prime minister and the Cambodian people on Facebook. He told the media that he was "very happy" that the lion was returned. 

UK Ambassador to Cambodia Tina Redshaw condemned the return in a tweet, and said it undermined Cambodian endangered wildlife laws.

 

 

wd/msh (Reuters, AFP)