A defanged and declawed lion trafficked to an upscale neighbourhood of the Cambodian capital was returned to its owner on July 5, 2021, after Prime Minister Hun Sen intervened.
The 18-month-old cub was confiscated from Qi Xiao, a Chinese national, and taken to a wildlife rescue centre on June 27. Authorities learned of the unlikely pet after seeing TikTok videos of the lion playing in a Phnom Penh villa.
