Rihanna found herself at the centre of a police investigation while on holiday in Thailand.

A picture of her posing with a protected animal has helped the police to crack down on illegal animal trade.

The SOS singer was holidaying in Phuket last week and kept her fans up to date by posting regular images on Twitter and Instagram. One snap was of the singer with a slow loris, a local squirrel-like creature which is listed as a protected species.

The images made police suspicious that such animals were being advertised as tourist attractions. According to the Associated Press, the police investigation led to the arrest of two men on Saturday 21^st September, on suspicion of possessing protected animals.

Rihanna took a vacation in Thailand

Phuket district chief, Weera Kerdsirimongkon, says, "Phuket authorities were alerted to the picture (of Rihanna), and last night police arrested the two individuals who brought out the loris as a photo opportunity for tourists... It's like a cat-and-mouse game. But this time it's bigger because a celebrity like Rihanna posted the picture, and there were more than 200,000 'likes' from around the world".

If found guilty the accused, aged 16 and 20, could be sentenced to four years in prison.