Roaring surprise: Lions on the loose startle Chon Buri residents

Locals were shocked today after witnessing two lions roaming the streets of the Bang Lamueng district of Chon Buri in broad daylight.

Residents of Soi Khao Makok 13 in Chon Buri reported the shocking discovery of two lions to the DailyNews today, January 25. The lions came out of the home in the area without a caretaker. They wandered around for a while before a Thai man rushed to usher them back home.

A woman in the area told the media that she saw the lions come out of the house when the community was celebrating the new year. She and several others were frightened and immediately took their children inside the house.

The woman admitted that she and others became aware of the lions’ existence when the owner brought them home. They often saw the owner playing with the lions and they seemed friendly. However, people were concerned that the lions were friends only with their owner and not with others in the area.

Some locals urged the relevant authorities to investigate the lions to ensure the safety of people, especially vulnerable residents, such as children and old people.

A 28 year old Thai woman, identified only as Sky, presented herself as the owner of the lions and gave an interview with the media about her pets. Sky explained that she took care of the two lions since they were 45 days old. They are now 10 months old.

Auto door blamed

Sky said the male lion was named Arsua and the female was Linlin. She moved into the house with her lions just six months ago. She hired a Thai man to look after the lions while she was away and raised them with two Rottweilers.

Sky claimed that the fence around her house had an automatic opening system which allowed the two lions to sneak out. When the caretaker realised what had happened, he immediately tied up the fence with a robe to prevent a similar incident in the future.

Sky stressed that other people could still touch and play with her lions but it would be safer under her supervision. She talked to people in the area before. Some liked them while others were afraid of them.

Sky revealed that she was planning to sell the lions to a lion farm very soon. Officers are now checking the licence and relevant documents before the lions are sold.

Recently, a foreign man was spotted driving an open-top luxury Bently car with two lions enjoying the breeze in Pattaya. This sparked a debate about community safety and an investigation into the ownership of the two lions.

According to an update reported on Thai PBS, a Thai woman was the real owner of the lions and the foreign man was her friend. She asked the friend to bring the lions to the clinic that day.

The woman added that she was in the process of obtaining a licence to legally own the lions and to ensure that her ownership was in accordance with the law.