A Thai woman has been taken into custody by police after her pet lion was spotted having fun in the streets of Pattaya. The tethered lion cub is shown sitting in the back of a white, open-top Bentley in a video that has now gone viral. A man from Sri Lanka who is thought to be a friend of the woman, Sawangjit Kosoongnern, was driving the lion. He has since departed the country. Owning a lion in Thailand is permitted, but requires official registration. Authorities in Thailand stated that Ms. Sawangjit had purchased the animal from a man in the province of Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, who had successfully arranged for its arrival. But before doing so, he neglected to have authorities inspect his facilities, which meant that both the animal’s ownership and transfer were unlawful.
Therefore, she faces charges of having a controlled wild animal without authorization, which entail a fine of up to 100,000 baht ($2,800; £2,200) and a year in jail. Additionally, it was alleged that police were attempting to charge the Sri Lankan guy who had kept the lion in his pool villa for rent, but they were unable to do so since he had left Thailand. He was supposed to face charges of bringing a regulated wild animal into public areas, which has a 50,000 baht fine and a maximum six-month jail sentence. Charges of transporting an animal without authorization will also be brought against the man who sold Ms. Sawangjit the lion. There are presently 224 legally owned lions in Thailand, according to officials.
Leave a Reply