Declawed Pet Lion Confiscated After Appearing In TikTok Video

Cambodian authorities have rescued the lion from a private residence, after TikTok videos showing the animal went viral. 

The lion at the private residence. Credit: Wildlife Alliance Cambodia

A lion being kept illegally at a private residence has been seized by authorities after the animal appeared in viral videos on the social media platform TikTok.

Cambodian authorities raided a residential property in the country’s capital of Phnom Penh and discovered the lion, who had been mutilated in order to be kept as a pet. 

“The lion’s canine teeth had been removed, along with its claws, which drastically reduces a lion’s quality of life”, reported Wildlife Alliance Cambodia, an NGO involved with the rescue. “The conditions at a residential home are inappropriate for a wild animal”.

The rescue is the result of an investigation that was launched earlier this year when authorities were alerted to TikTok videos that showed the 18-month-old male lion being kept in captivity.

During the rescue. Credit: Wildlife Alliance Cambodia

"It was a rare species that was smuggled from abroad,” environment ministry spokesperson Neth Pheaktra told Reuters. "According to the law, people don’t have the right to raise wildlife at home, especially rare species."

The lion is now safe and being cared for at the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre. 

The U.S. Has A Tiger Problem

The problem of lions and other big cats being kept as ‘pets’ continues to be a global issue, particularly in the U.S. 

Whilst there are now twenty-one U.S. states that prohibit the keeping of dangerous exotic pets such as big cats, there is currently no federal law concerning big cat ownership.

However, campaigners are currently trying to pass the Big Cat Public Safety Act, a legislation which seeks to protect these captive animals by outlawing direct contact between the public and big cats. 

With around 5,000 captive tigers in the U.S., this act has the potential to help protect big cats by outlawing backyard captive big cat collectors and inhumane cub handling exhibits. Campaigners are urging the public to ask their Member of Congress to support the Big Cat Public Safety Act - you can find out how you can do so here.

Find out more about with our podcast episode “Where Are They Now? The Fallen Stars Of Tiger King”, where we chat with journalist and author Sharon Guynup, who has spent years investigating and reporting on the U.S.’s tiger problem.

---

More stories:

---

Species Unite

A collection of stories of those who fight the good fight on behalf of animals.

---