Lion cub escapes Chinese man’s house in Pattaya

Residents of a luxury village in Pattaya called on the authorities to investigate the home of a Chinese man after they witnessed a white lion cub roaming around the community.

The 39 year old Chinese man named Shen Tai contacted Pattaya authorities on Tuesday night that his three month old female white lion cub had gone missing. Later, he informed the officers that he found his pet hiding inside the house.

After hearing about the lion’s escape, the man’s neighbours were apprehensive about another incident and requested the relevant authorities to investigate the house and implement measures to ensure their safety.

Officers from the Protected Areas Regional Office 2 (Sriracha) or PARO 2, searched the house yesterday, March 1. They discovered that Shen had not confined his lion cub to a cage and allowed it to roam freely.

Shen stated that he purchased the cub from a lion farm in the central province of Chachengsao owned by a Thai man named Yothin Nakkorn for 500,000 baht. He showed the officers the purchase document, but he did not have the necessary authorization to raise the lion.

The officers advised Shen to register his pet with PARO 2 by Thursday, March 16. If not, he would face imprisonment of up to one year, a fine of up to 100,000 baht, or both according to Sections 19 and 90 of the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act.

PARO 2’s veterinarian, Pairoj Prommawat, explained to Thairath that the white lion, a Panthera leo, is a controlled wildlife species. People can keep them as pets, but they require authorization. The authorities will also investigate the raising area to ensure the safety of both pet owners and people living nearby.

The white lion is a rare genetic mutation of the African lion or Panthera leo. They are not a separate species from the other African lion, but rather a colour variation. Due to habitat loss and hunting, the white lion is considered endangered, with only a few hundred left in the wild.