A Chinese woman was arrested for allegedly owning a lion cub illegally in Thailand.

Cheng Min, 32, reportedly displayed the two-month-old baby lion named Kiwi every day at her coffee shop before taking the wild animal back to her hotel in Phuket.

Police launched an investigation when an animal cruelty complaint was lodged against her.

Police Colonel Arun Vachirasrisukanya, deputy commander of the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division, along with local police and wildlife officers, inspected the cafe on February 14 but did not find the cub there.

They then went to the hotel in the Muang district and detained Cheng Min. They also found the female cub wandering around the room that was determined to be unsuitable for raising the lion.

Police Colonel Arun said: 'From the investigation, we learned that the owner had bought the lion cub from a company in Bangkok for 250,000 baht on January 9. However, there was no transfer document from the company, and the lion was put on show at the cafe before being taken back to the hotel.'

Officers said there was no microchip on Kiwi, contradicting the microchip document Cheng was holding. They said the paper likely belonged to a different lion.

Cheng Min was charged with failing to notify authorities of her possession of the lion cub, and illegally moving the animal according to the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act. She was taken to Mueang Phuket Police Station for further legal action.

Meanwhile, Kiwi will be placed in the care of an appropriate agency, Police Colonel Arun said.

Kiwi is not the first pet lion to be seized by authorities in recent weeks.

On January 22, alarmed drivers spotted a lion cub cruising in a Bentley in Pattaya in Chonburi province. The cub was later found to be owned by Thai woman Sawangjit Kosoognern, who had incomplete transfer documents for its ownership.

Days later, two more pet lions were seen wandering the streets of the Bang Lamung district of the same city, having escaped when the automatic gates of their home malfunctioned.

The lions were seized, and their owner Charinyaporn Kaewsai was charged with failing to register possession of them with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.

While on January 26, well-known DJ Phumjai Tangsanga or 'DJ Poom' sparked discussions when he posted a selfie video playing with a lion.