DECLAWED LION SPOTTED ON TIKTOK REMOVED FROM OWNER'S HOUSE

A wealthy Chinese man shared footage of his pet lion on TikTok, thinking it would make him popular. Instead, it got him into a massive amount of trouble.

Other users quickly alerted the social media platform and authorities swept in to rescue the animal.

During a raid on the owner's house, it became clear that the 18-month-old lion had been defanged, declawed and illegally kept as a pet, reports Reuters.

Officers arrived at the man's house, where they found the lion walking placidly around a hallway. He had a collar around his neck. An officer blew a tranquiliser dart into the side of the lion before the team moved in and carried the 70kg animal into a metal crate.

According to reports, the lion was then taken to the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre on the outskirts of the capital, Phnom Penh.

Investigations as to the lion's exact whereabouts started in April already when the man first posted footage of the lion on TikTok. It is believed that authorities were able to identify the exact location after a Twitter user posted aerial footage of the lion walking around in his owner's garden.

According to local Cambodian laws, it is illegal to raise a wild animal at home. It's not clear if the owner has been arrested or not.

Image credit: Reuters