Ukrainian customs officials made the unusual discovery of a lion cub hidden in luggage as they checked a vehicle at a maritime port crossing on Wednesday.
Border guards detected the cub in a bag hidden among cages of parrots.
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The vehicle’s three occupants — reportedly Turkish citizens — were travelling to Turkey with some 2,245 parrots and four cats, for which they had export permits.
One of the passengers took responsibility for transporting the lion, but could not provide relevant documents, officials said.
The one-month-old lion cub was taken to Odessa zoo.
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Reports said the three are facing charges and would be prosecuted.
— With files from Global News.
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