New Delhi, June 4 -- Thailand has seen a staggering increase in the number of captive lions within its borders, with the population more than tripling from just over 130 in 2018 to more than 440 by 2024. The sharp rise, revealed in a new peer-reviewed study published in Discover Conservation, has prompted urgent calls for global intervention to curb the exploitation of big cats.

Animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS has condemned the trend, warning that the growth is not a conservation success but a reflection of commercial breeding practices driven by entertainment demands, the exotic pet trade and social media trends.

"This is not progress - it's exploitation," said Vanessa Amoroso, Navigator for Animals in Entertainment and Work at ...