Turkish man caught smuggling baby lion cub from Ukraine

Turkish man caught smuggling baby lion cub from Ukraine

KYIV
A Turkish man has been caught while attempting to smuggle a one month-old lion cub from Ukraine to Turkey, Doğan News Agency reported on March 23.

Security forces seized the lion cub hidden in a sports bag in the truck of a minibus belonging to the unidentified man, who was attempting to smuggle it illegally from the Chornomorsk Port, the Ukrainian Border Security Service said in a statement.

In addition to the lion cub, 2,245 parrots and four cats, for which legal permission had been taken, were also in the truck.

The Ukrainian authorities have launched legal proceedings against the man, and the lion cub was later transferred to Odessa Zoo.