The Afghan border police forces have foiled an attempt by the smugglers to transfer at least six lions to Pakistan.
The Ministry of Interior (MoI) said the lions were discovered and seized in Spin Boldak district of southern Kandahar province before the smugglers manage to take them to the other side of the line.
The border police commander Gen. Nematullah Haidari said the smugglers had professionally placed the lions inside a truck and were looking to take them out of the country.
He said the smugglers had apparently brought the lions from outside Afghanistan and were looking to take them to Pakistan.
Gen. Haidari further added that four of the lions were transferred to Kabul and were handed over to the authorities of Kabul Zoo.
He also added that the remaining two lions will also be shifted to Kabul in the near future so they can join the four others and can be kept in the zoo.
It is yet not clear if any suspect was arrested in connection to the smuggling attempt of the lions.
According to reports, the lions originally hail from Africa but the local authorities in Kandahar are saying that further investigations will be conducted to confirm from where the lions were captured.