A Chinese woman was arrested on Friday after authorities discovered a white lion cub at an unlicensed hotel illegally operated and catering to Chinese tourists in Muang district in Chiang Mai.
Officials searched the building on Charoensuk Road in tambon Chang Phueak after residents complained of loud animal noises coming from the premises since Sept 5, according to the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division (NED).
Authorities found a white lion cub, estimated to be two to three months old, on the second floor of the building.
According to the regional office of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, the cub had no microchip and its keeper failed to present any documents authorising its possession.
The cub was seized for further examination and would be housed temporarily at Chiang Mai Night Safari.
The raided building was found to have been renovated and used as a hotel, with rooms rented only to Chinese tourists, said deputy district chief Nattakorn Chum-intarachak.
He said the operator had previously applied for a hotel licence but the application was rejected. However, the premises were opened to guests.
Police detained a woman identified only as Wang, a 40-year-old Chinese national who said she was the building’s housekeeper, and took her to the Muang Chiang Mai police station for legal action.
She faces charges of possessing protected wildlife without permission and operating a hotel without a licence.
Authorities would also investigate the people who financed the property and any Thai nationals involved in acquiring the building, officials said.