24-1-2024 (BANGKOK) The Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation is advocating for a ban on individuals owning lions following the viral video featuring a tame young lion in a Bentley convertible driven by a foreigner on a busy Pattaya street.
The video, while causing concern among social media viewers, didn’t evoke the same reaction from onlookers along the street.
On Wednesday, DNP director-general Attapol Charoenchansa revealed that the Bentley in the video was registered in Phuket to a “Ms Atcharaporn.” The driver, contrary to initial reports, was a dark-skinned, bald foreign man, not a woman, although the woman’s full name was not disclosed. The Bentley, featured in the video, was leased from TNP Import Cars Phuket Co, as per the DNP chief.
Home-slice rolling down soi 5 with a lion cub in the back of his Bentley- Pattaya pic.twitter.com/PO2as32QWO
— whiskey&rum (@WhiskeyRum) January 23, 2024
Further investigation into the young lion featured in the video, based on the microchip implanted in the animal, revealed that it was registered to a woman in Bang Phong district of Ratchaburi named Sawangjit Kosungneon. An application was in process to transfer ownership to an address in Chon Buri, but it had not been completed.
Residents of Phra Tamnak Soi 5 in Pattaya, where the video was captured, mentioned that they frequently witnessed the foreigner driving the Bentley with a lion in the back seat. The usual route included Dong Tan beach and Yin Yom beach, before returning home in the evening. The lion seemed tame, always calm, and was equipped with a collar and leash.
The DNP chief identified the driver as an Indian national and a friend of Ms. Sawangjit. Lions fall under Category Kor, classified as dangerous wildlife. The transfer of ownership of the lion for display in a public area, instead of a secure location, violated DNP regulations, carrying a maximum penalty of six months in prison and/or a fine of 50,000 baht, according to Mr. Attapol.
Failure to notify authorities of possession of Category Kor animals could result in a maximum sentence of 12 months and/or a fine of 100,000 baht, he added. In Thailand, a total of 153 lions are registered to 24 owners, both individuals and private zoos. Chon Buri province alone has four Thai individuals and one zoo registered for possession of 15 lions.
The lion featured in the Pattaya video was 5-6 months old and costs approximately 500,000 baht each. The department intends to review its regulations concerning the 10 species of wildlife in Category Kor. Instances of individuals treating these animals like regular pets without proper safety controls have prompted the department to consider preventing individuals from owning fierce wild animals, particularly if they are not in a zoo.
