Chinese Man Fined $30,000 for Keeping Illegal Pet Lion

A Chinese man who was caught with an illegal pet lion in Phnom Penh has been fined $30,000. Photo from Ministry of Environment.

The Chinese owner of the lion had removed the animal’s claws and canine teeth, but authorities say the man’s central Phnom Penh villa was an inappropriate place for a wild animal



PHNOM PENH--A Chinese man who was caught with an illegal pet lion in Phnom Penh has been fined $30,000 and forced to sign an agreement not to raise wildlife by Cambodia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.



Keo Omalis, a representative from the Forestry Administration, said that the illegally raised pet lion had had its canine teeth and claws removed before it was rescued in a raid on the unnamed Chinese man’s villa in Sangkat Boeung Keng Kang 1 conducted by Phnom Penh authorities and Wildlife Alliance on June 27.



According to Omalis, the lion originated in the grasslands of Africa, but authorities are still investigating how it was trafficked into Cambodia. He reiterated that Cambodian law allows for the raising of certain species, but those wishing to raise exotic animals need to apply for a permit from local authorities.



It is unclear at this point whether the Chinese national, who authorities are refusing to name, had the necessary permits, but images of the lion strolling around the garden of the man’s villa went viral over the weekend.



Koam Seiha, director of Phnom Penh Forestry Administration said that people do not have the right to raise lions.



“The Chinese owners have been called in by the authorities to stop raising such wildlife,” he said.



The lion itself has now been sent to Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center, which is run by Wildlife Alliance and is home to other lions that authorities hope will socialize with the newly freed lion.



According to Wildlife Alliance, the lion is male, roughly 18 months old, weighs 70 kilograms and had been raised by the Chinese national since he was a cub, but the conditions of the villa in which the lion was held were “inappropriate for a wild animal.”



The removal of its claws and canine teeth “drastically reduce a lion’s quality of life,” Wildlife Alliance said, but added that it is now being cared for properly.



This is not the first time that wild animals have been kept as pets in Phnom Penh, but it is rare that authorities target those keeping exotic animals.



Cambodia is playing an increasing role in regional wildlife trafficking due to enhanced restrictions in both China and Vietnam, making Cambodia—with limited law enforcement and porous borders—an ideal target for traffickers aiming to evade authorities with illegal wildlife products.



A recent USAID report found that wildlife seizures across China, Cambodia, Laos PDR, Vietnam and Thailand were much lower in 2020 than 2019, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as a key driver in lower enforcement.


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