A lady was detained by the Thai police after her pet lion was observed riding around in the streets of Pattaya.
A very popular video now shows a baby lion with chains on it sitting in the back of a white Bentley car with no roof.
A man from Sri Lanka was taking the lion around, but he left the country. People think he is a friend of the woman, Sawangjit Kosoongnern.
In Thailand, it’s okay to have a lion as a pet as long as you register it with the government.
Officials in Thailand said Sawangjit said she bought the animal from a man in Nakhon Pathom province and he helped get it to Pattaya.
But he didn’t get permission to transfer or own the animal, so it was illegal.
She is in trouble for having a wild animal without permission. If she’s found guilty, she could go to jail for a year and have to pay a fine of up to 100,000 baht.
The police wanted to charge the Sri Lankan man because he kept the lion in his rented house. But they couldn’t because he left Thailand. He was going to be charged for bringing a wild animal into public places. This can result in up to six months in jail and a fine of 50,000 baht.
The person who sold the lion to Sawangjit will also be in trouble for taking the animal without permission.
Authorities say there are 224 lions in Thailand that are owned legally.
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Two to face charges by Thai police after pet lion was seen driving in Bentley
