Absolute Madness, Pet Lion and Tiger Ownership in Thailand

Big cat ownership has been banned in the United States and United Arab Emirates in recent years, and Thailand’s wildlife rules are soon up for review. (Lillian SUWANRUMPHA/AFP)

"It's absolute madness."

"It's terrifying to imagine, if the laws aren't changed, what the situation is going to be in ten years."

"That [no breeding caps, few enclosure of welfare requirements, no controls on hybrids; births of protected native species like tigers must be reported within 24 hours, 60 days for lions] is a huge window. What could be done with a litter of cubs in those 60 days? Anything." 

"We have interviewed traders [in the region] who have given us prices for live and dead lions and have told us they can take them over the border." 

Tom Taylor, chief operating officer, Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand

 

"It gradually became a full-fledged business that I couldn't step away from."

"In the past, people could just put down money and walk away with a lion ..."

"Everything has become more complicated."

Thai trader Pathamawadee Janpithak 

Mechanic shop owner and avid Tiktoker Tharnuwarht Plengkemratch interacting with his pet lion-tiger hybrid "Big George" in Chiang Mai, Thailand on July 11, 2025. Photo by AFP

 

There are close to 500 captive lions registered in zoos, breeding farms, petting cafes and homes in Thailand. Lion ownership is legal there. "They're playful and affectionate, just like dogs or cats", stated TikTok animal influencer Tharnuwarht Plengkemratch, who has his own pets, two lions and a 200-kilogram lion-tiger hybrid. "I wanted to show people ... that lions can actually bond well with humans", he said.

 

Thai law has required big-cat owners to register and microchip lions since 2022. Authorities must be informed before they are moved. But breeding caps are non-existent, there are no welfare requirements and no controls in liger or tigon hybrids. The rise in lion ownership has been tracked by the Wildlife Friends Foundation of Thailand with on-site visits and tracking social media accounts. In 2018 around 130 lions were recorded; by 2024 that number had risen to close to 450. Some 350 lions were "lost to followup" when their whereabouts could not be confirmed.

 

Lions and their body parts are sold internationally only with CITES permits despite circumstantial evidence of illicit trade. Lions, including cubs, have been documented through media reports and social media multiple times in Cambodia, despite CITES having no records of registered imports since 2003, leading to growing evidence that captive lion numbers in Laos exceed CITES import licenses. 

 

Eight day-old lions being fedat a breeding facility in Chachoengsao province, Thailand on July 7, 2025. Photo by AFP

 

Thai trader Pathamawadee Janpithak sells one-month-old lions for around 500,000 baht ($15,500) reduced from a peak of 800,000 baht, with increased supply from breeding operations. Lions in captivity are fed around two kilograms (4.4 pounds) of poultry carcasses daily. As breeding stock, they can produce litters of two to six cubs once or twice yearly. Around 80 lions are housed in Pathamawadee's three facilities. The difficulty she cites of finding buyers willing to comply with ownership rules is lamentable to her. 

 

Half of the 90 cubs she breeds yearly are sold, most often to other breeders, who open 'lion cafes' where customers pose with, and pet young lions. A handler roused a cub from a nap to play with a group of squealing Chinese tourists. Pathamawadee said several cubs were returned to her traumatized, and no longer breeding-suitable, leading to her decision to no longer sell to cafes which off-load cubs within a short period as they mature. 

 

Authorities whose capabilities are stretched, grapple with difficult decisions enforcing regulations, since animals that are confiscated become their responsibility, noted illegal wildlife trade specialist Penthai Siriwat, at WWF Thailand. "There is a great deal of deliberation before intervening ... considering the substantial costs", she explained.   

"...Private ownership has existed for a long time ... so we're taking a gradual approach."

"With inbreeding on the rise, the quality of the lions is also declining and we believe that demand will decrease as a result."

"Wild animals belong in the wild. There are plenty of other animals we can keep as pets."

Wildlife protection director Sadudee Punpugdee, Thailand Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation  

A lion handler playing with a lion cub at a cafe in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Photo by AFP