Two lions and a 200 kg (440lb) lion-tiger hybrid called “Big George” are the cherished pets of a growing TikTok animal influencer on an unremarkable Thai street.
Tharnuwt Plengkemratch, who updates his feline companions on their almost three million followers, is an enthusiastic advocate for legal lien ownership in Thailand.
From their cage complex in Chiang Mai, he claimed from inside their playful and loving homes, which he said were the same as dogs or cats.
Nearly 500 captive lions have been registered in zoos, breeding grounds, petting kennels, and homes in Thailand in recent years, a rise in the population.
Social media, where owners like Tharnuwarht post humorous content and glitzy scenes with lions, is the driving force behind the boom.
Owners of lions have been required to register and microchip them before moving them, as has Thai law since 2022.
However, liger or tigon hybrids are not subject to breeding caps, few enclosure or welfare requirements, or any other restrictions.
The rise in lion ownership has been tracked by Tom Taylor, the head of Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, and his colleagues, who also use social media to trawl through social media.
They recorded about 130 in 2018, and nearly 450 by 2024. However, nearly 350 more lions were declared lost after it was too late to confirm their whereabouts for a year.
That might be due to unreported deaths, the removal of an animal from display, or “worst-case scenarios,” Taylor said. We have spoken with local traders who have quoted us for live and dead lions and who have indicated that they can transport them across the border. ”
Lions and their parts can only be sold internationally with permits from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Lions, including cubs, have been documented in Cambodia numerous times in recent years thanks to media reports and social media, but CITES has not reported any registered imports since 2003.
Additionally, there is evidence that Laos’ captive lion populations are higher than those of CITES import permits.
In Thailand, however, imports of lion bones, skins, and teeth have decreased in recent years, despite persistent demand, which raises questions about where parts are now coming from.
As the price of reptiles dropped, Thai trader Pathamawadee Janpithak switched to lions. She sells one-month-olds for about 500,000 baht ($15,395), down from a peak of 800,000 baht ($24,638) as breeding operations like hers increase supply.
Between a stately full-maned nine-year-old and a sickly pair of eight-day-olds being bottle-fed around the clock, the three facilities in Pathamawadee house about 80 lions.
He sells about half of the 90 cubs she breeds annually to other breeders, who are increasingly opening “lion cafes” where visitors can pose with and pet young lions.
Wildlife protection director Sadudee Punpugdee acknowledged that Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) is concerned about the country’s growing lion population.
We’re moving forward slowly, he said, because private ownership has been around for a while.
That includes limiting imports of lions, making domestic animals the only animals available for breeding.
According to Penthai Siriwat, a specialist at WWF Thailand’s illegal wildlife trade organization, authorities are already faced with difficult decisions when enforcing regulations because confiscated animals are their responsibility.
Before stepping in, there is a lot of deliberation, according to Siriwat, taking into account the high costs. Thai owners frequently make use of conservation to justify their pets, but captive lions from Thailand will never survive in the wild.
When he discusses the lion trade, veterinary chief Natanon Panpeth cautions that the “wellbeing of the animals should always come first.”
Although a ban is unlikely at this time, Sadudee is optimistic that some provisions will be made stricter. He reaffirms to potential owners, “Wild animals belong in the wild.
We can keep a lot of other animals as pets, she says. ”
Source: Aljazeera
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