Petition: Rescue Lion From Abusive Owner Who Pulled His Teeth and Claws Out

Towards the end of April, a TikTok of a visibly stressed-out lion went viral. According to The Guardian, the lion had been imported and was being kept as a pet at a home in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. He was only 18 months old and had been both declawed and defanged by his owner.

After the video gained attention, Cambodian authorities began investigating. They soon seized the lion and brought him to the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center (PTWRC) where he would have an appropriate habitat and proper care. However, it turns out, the rescue was too good to be true. According to World Animal News, the lion was recently returned to his original owner after the Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Sen, stepped in. On July 4th, the Prime Minister posted an update on his Facebook page about his decision.

Wild animals are not and can never be pets. Even if raised from when they are cubs (which in itself requires immense cruelty as mothers are bred over and over in terrible conditions and then immediately separated from their babies) big cats will always be wild. In captivity, their mental and physical health suffers severely. Plus, this poor lion also had his teeth removed and claws, “severely clipped,” which is not only painful, but also very harmful in the long term. It shows that to the owner, this big cat is in fact not “treated like family,” as the Prime Minister shared. He is just an accessory and object for entertainment whose well-being does not matter to his owner. He should never have been returned to a life in captivity after being rescued. Sign this petition to demand that the Cambodian Minister of Agriculture Veng Sakhon insist that this lion be once again rescued, for good!

To continue speaking up, sign these other petitions as well:

• Ban Photos that Glamorize Exotic Animal Ownership on Instagram
• Deplatform Social Media Influencers for Animal Cruelty
• Ban Instagram Account of Social Media Influencer Who Tattooed Her Cat
• Take animal abuse and torture videos off of YouTube!

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