Ukrainian border guards at a Black Sea maritime trading port near Odessa, and close to Moldova, uncovered a young lion cub being smuggled in a vehicle among thousands of pet birds early on March 23, the country’s state border service reported.

The driver of the vehicle was reported to have been a Turkish national and, along with two passengers, was said to have been trying to smuggle the one-month-old lion cub to Turkey. The cub was discovered among 2,245 parrots and four dogs in an animal transport vehicle, hidden under a blanket and a sports bag, the border service said.

The border service said the cub was sent to a zoo in Odessa, and that the smugglers would be prosecuted.