14-2-2024 (BANGKOK) Outrage sparked amongst foreign visitors to Phuket as images of lion cubs in cafes circulated on social media, drawing widespread condemnation. Concerned comments flooded in, denouncing the practice as animal cruelty and insisting that lion cubs belong in their natural habitat with their mothers and pride, not confined to cafes for tourist entertainment.
On February 12, 2024, a team led by Shinthep Kanghae, director of the Khao Phra Thaeo Wildlife Sanctuary, along with Tourist Police and officers from Phuket City Police Station, descended upon a café in Phuket to investigate the matter. The café, bustling with tourists, became the focal point of inquiries. Mr. Kai, a Chinese associate of the café owner, was approached by the authorities and subsequently summoned to Phuket City Police Station for interrogation.
During questioning, Mr. Kai disclosed that the lion cub, belonging to a friend residing in Krabi province, was brought to Phuket from Bangkok 15 days prior. The cub spent 2-3 hours daily at the café for tourist display before returning to the owner’s residence in Chalong.
Authorities are in the process of gathering evidence to secure a search warrant for the Chalong residence, where the lion is currently housed. Investigations will ascertain the legality of bringing the lion to the area and whether proper permits were obtained for transportation, given that lions are classified as a controlled species in Thailand.
This incident in Phuket mirrors a similar occurrence in a café situated in Bangkok’s Khlong Toei district. Officials from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation intervened in this case, seizing a one-month-old female lion cub.
Mr. Naruporn Tipmontha, director of the Forest Fire Prevention and Control Department, revealed that initial investigations on January 29, 2024, yielded a sales receipt for the lion cub from a foreign animal trading company to the café, along with a document containing a microchip number. However, the microchip was absent, and no official documents verifying ownership of the lion cub were produced by the café owner within the stipulated 15-day period.
Further scrutiny unveiled that the microchip number corresponded to a three-month-old male lion in Nakhon Pathom province, casting doubt on the lion’s actual age and gender. Subsequently, charges were brought against the café owner in Khlong Toei for contravening the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act by failing to report possession of a controlled wildlife species.
The lion cub, along with its enclosure, was confiscated and entrusted to the Wildlife Conservation Office of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation for proper care and custody.
