Woman Carries Growling Lion In Her Arms Down A Street [Watch]

In a bizarre incident, a woman was seen walking down a street in Kuwait with a struggling, growling lion in her arms.

A video of the incident shows the woman carrying the young lion in her arms. The feline repeatedly growls and struggles to break free throughout the video. It also moves its paws aggressively, while the fearless woman keeps a tight hold around its shoulder. Eventually, the woman lets go of the lion and places it on the ground.

The incident occurred Sunday in the Sabahiya area in Kuwait City. The big cat belonged to the woman in the video and her father, both private citizens. It reportedly escaped from its cage and wandered around the busy city, causing panic among locals, the Arab Times reported.

Flashing police lights could be seen in the background of the video.

After several drivers and pedestrians reported the sighting, the environmental police were called to the scene. Aided by the owners and the people who helped raise the lion cub, the police were able to capture it. The feline was then handed over to the owners.

The footage has since become viral on social media. The video has been viewed over 450,000 times on Twitter. The video had Twitter users divided over the way the lion was being carried.

“People don't know but you can actually take a lion by its neck the way their mothers carry them around,” said one user.

It is illegal to own exotic pets in Kuwait, the Middle East Eye reported. But, many private citizens own exotic animals such as lions, tigers, cheetahs, baboons, snakes and other exotic animals as a status symbol, the National Geography reported.

Demand for exotic animals as pets in the Middle Eastern countries has increased the luxury pet trade. Lions and other felines are captured in Africa at a young age and illegally trafficked through Yemen.

Shereefa al-Salem, a member of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora committee, said they are trying to bring public awareness and increase law enforcement efforts regarding the trafficking of animals. “We would like to decrease the trade and resolve this problem.”