A woman has been arrested after it was discovered that she had been keeping a bear in her home.
27-year-old Zarith Sofia Yasin had been keeping an endangered bear in her home in Kuala Lumpur thinking the animal was a dog.
The singer, who became popular after appearing on Rockanova, said that she had rescued the sun bear and decided to take it with her so she could nurse the sun bear back to health.
“It was night time when I found the bear cub in a weakened state by the side of the road, and I thought it was a dog,” she explained.
“I know the bear cannot be reared, it can’t be kept as a pet. I only wanted to save the bear, I had no intention of exploiting it.
“I was worried about sending Bruno to the zoo because the animals there look skinny.”
Authorities raided the singer’s apartment after a neighbor had reported that she was keeping a bear cub.
While it is illegal to keep a bear, there is no doubt that the creature is very cute.
If found guilty of keeping an endangered animal without a permit, Yasin could face up to 10 years behind bars or 200,000 Malaysian Ringgit ($48,200).
The woman has also been charged with a second count of keeping the bear in an environment that is not conducive to its wellbeing and comfort. This carries a sentence of up to one year in prison and up to 50,000 Ringgits ($12,000).
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Replaced!