A French man is facing a ruling on whether he can keep a lion as a pet.
Ciam, a 14-month male, has for the past seven months been in the illegal care of Anthony Crapet, a 36-year-old builder, and his wife, at their home in Poussan in southern France.
The couple have two children.
Crapet insists that he can handle the big cat. "Does he look aggressive to you?" he asked.
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"Not at all."
He claimed a circus director friend gave him the lion.
A neighbour tipped off police to Ciam's existence over the weekend.