Declawed Tiktok lion rescued from Cambodia villa | Abroad

Cambodian authorities tracked down the lion after videos of the predator went viral on video website Tiktok. “People do not have the right to keep rare animals as pets,” Environment Ministry spokesman Neth Pheaktra said of the case.

According to Wildlife Alliance, an animal protection organization that assisted in the raid, conditions in the villa were “inappropriate for a wild animal.” In addition, the lion’s fangs and claws were removed, which the organization says drastically reduces a lion’s quality of life.

The owner of the lion, a Chinese man who illegally imported the lion, is fined $30,000. The lion has been transferred to a wildlife sanctuary.

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