Seated at the back of a white, open-top Bentley, a lion cub was spotted going on a joyride in the streets of Pattaya, Thailand, in January 2024. -SCREENGRAB FROM MADAMANNUDON/FACEBOOK
BANGKOK: A Thai owner of a pet lion cub could face jail after a viral video of her friend driving around Pattaya in a convertible Bentley, with the big cat wearing a chained collar sitting in the back seat, sparked accusations of animal cruelty and endangering public safety.
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said Sawangjit Kosoongnern was legally allowed to keep the lion in Ratchaburi province, west of Bangkok.
She had sought permission to transfer the pet to the tourist hotspot in Chonburi province, but did not receive the approval yet.
“Therefore, Sawangjit did violate laws concerning the taking of a wild animal out in public and moving its location without prior permission,” said Atthaphon Charoenchansa, the department’s chief.
She could face a prison term of up to six months and/or a maximum fine of 50,000 baht (US$1,400), he added.
Earlier on Tuesday, police launched an investigation into the incident to ascertain the owner of the Bentley after a video showed the lion, appearing calm and domesticated, as the luxury car drove past anxious onlookers in Pattaya’s Bang Lamung district.
Police later said the driver was Sawangjit’s friend from India, Thai PBS World reported.
Owning exotic animals such as lions is legal in Thailand, but they need to be registered under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
Officials said a zoo and four individuals in Chonburi had permits to keep 15 lions that cost about 500,000 baht (US$14,008) each.
Some Thais on social media said the driver lacked accountability, calling for his arrest and setting the lion free.
“It is not wrong to be very rich. There is definitely a problem when that person doesn’t have a sense of public responsibility,” wrote a user.
Said another: “I would have freaked out with the kids.”
Officer Atthaphon agreed.
“All wild animals are dangerous and have the potential to attack at any time. An individual can obtain permission to own a lion, but they must keep it in a specified location, not in a public area,” he said.
Others described the driver as an “attention seeker”, saying there was nothing to roar about his act.
“Live your best life and let the socialist pensioners cry about a man in a Bentley,” said a user.
Local media said keeping lions as pets had grown in popularity among Thais and expats in recent years.
Last March, officials questioned a Chinese national whose white lion cub went on the loose, leaving residents of a Pattaya housing estate in a tizzy. They also found the animal was not caged and allowed to roam freely inside the home. - SCMP
