A pet lion that was confiscated by Cambodian authorities last month has been returned to his owner after a surprise intervention by the prime minister.
The 18-month-old male lion was illegally smuggled into the country by a Chinese national, officials said.
They launched an inquiry in April after seeing TikTok videos of the lion at a villa in the capital, Phnom Penh.
The 70kg (11st) lion was seized on 27 June and moved to a rescue centre.
Since then the owner, a Chinese man named as Zhai Xinjiang in local media, has made appeals for the return of the lion on social media and in interviews.
