This footage shows an incredulous taxi driver filming a lion cub that was spotted in the back of a pickup truck with two children in Mexico while a police officer does nothing but chuckle and walk away.

The incident took place recently in the city of Palenque, in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, with the footage subsequently shared online and picked up in local media.

Throughout the video, the incredulous taxi driver filming can be heard repeatedly saying “un leon en la ciudad” (‘a lion in the city’).

The young lion, which appears to be a cub, can be seen dangling its head over the back of the red pickup truck and panting slightly, apparently struggling with the heat and thirst.

Two children can also be seen next to the animal with one child petting the cub on its head.

A police officer can be seen snapping a picture of the lion before chuckling and walking away while other onlookers take pictures and film the animal as well.

Activists have slammed the footage, saying that wild animals should not be kept as pets.

The local authorities have so far not commented on the animal and it is unclear if its owners, who have not been identified, have the proper permits to own it.

It is possible to have exotic animals as pets in Mexico but the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources needs to authorise it first.