Police searched a house following the sighting of a lion cub leaning from an open-top Bentley in Thailand.

The exotic animal sparked alarm among locals when it was seen being driven around the popular tourist city Pattaya in the backseat of a white Continental GTC car on January 22.

Tourist police and wildlife officials checked wildlife registration records before searching the cub owner's home in Chonburi province on January 23.

At the two-storey house, they found the four-month-old female cub kept inside a cage, but no sign of the owner, a Thai woman named Sawangjit Kosoongnern.

Sawangjit Kosoongnern's lawyer later arrived at the scene to speak with the police. She was set to present wildlife ownership documents during questioning today, January 24.

Sawangjit's neighbour 'Rita', 50, said she often saw a foreign man taking care of the lion cub in the yard. She said the man would regularly take the big cat on a joyride around the Dongtan-Jomtien beach area.

She said: 'I heard a roar coming from the house next door. When I used my camera to zoom in, I was shocked to find it was a baby lion.'

Atthapol Charoenchansa, director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, said the cub was reportedly registered at Protected Areas Regional Office 3 in Ratchaburi under Thai woman Sawangjit Kosoongnern, who claimed it was being transported to another area in Chonburi province.

The male driver was an Indian national and Sawangjit's friend. He has not been named in reports.

Atthapol said Sawangjit and the Indian driver may have broken the law by taking the lion out of an authorised area.

He said: 'In the lion ownership guidelines, there is clear information that they must be kept in certain premises. The lions cannot be moved or taken out for scenic rides in public areas.'

The pair may be face six months of detention or a fine of up to 50,000 THB (1,395 USD) if found guilty.

Owning exotic animals is legal in Thailand with the proper permits.

Last year, an escaped white lion cub also caused alarm when it wandered around streets in Chonburi province.

The owner Chen Tai, 39, from China had purchased the cub for 500,000 THB (13,950 USD) but could not produce proper ownership documents. He was allowed to register the animal and was advised to keep it inside his home to avoid scaring his neighbours.